Nott!
by Once Upon A Goddess
Summary: When Hermione discovers her real family is best friends with the Malfoys, what can she do but sit by and hope she's not eaten alive? Well, when Malfoy becomes Draco, that may just be a lovely idea... Adopted from mellowenglishgal!
1. Chapter 1: Adopted

**HI! This is Terra, Once Upon A Goddess! I was absolutely in love with this story, so I adopted it for the fabulous **_**mellowenglishgal! **_**All credit goes to her, her idea, characters personalities, I am just a faithful reader who loved the plot! Hopefully you enjoy this as much as I do and stick with it! I plan on updating soon, so stay tuned! I'll first be updating current chapters, then get a new chapter up as soon as possible. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer**: I confess, I do not own _any_ of J.K.'s wonderful characters-though if I had any legal say in the matter of publishing, I would have refused to publish the last book because of the death-count, so I am boycotting all knowledge of _that book_ and take pleasure in writing my own stuff! Ha!... Let's take a few moments of silence for our fallen brethren. _FRED! :'(_

**Author's Note**: Inspired by another fic I scanned through, this is my take on the Adopted! Hermione storyline. Oh, and just in case you don't figure it out, it will be a Hermione/DRACO fic. Major smut in later chapters. Please REVIEW.

**Character Names**:

Charles: German: 'strong'

Jean: Hebrew: 'god is gracious'

Hermione: Greek: 'well-born,' daughter of Menelaus and Helen of Sparta/Troy i.e. Uber-babe.

William: German: 'Resolute guardian'

Phaedra: Greek: 'glowing'

Theodore: Greek: 'divine gift'

"Hermione, we need to talk."

"This is my first sweet of the day, Dad, I promise!" Hermione jumped, whirling around and trying guiltily to conceal the Tunnox Tea-Cake. It was_ their_ fault, after all. They bought the bloody things. She couldn't help having a sweet-tooth in spite of having annoyingly pedantic dentists for parents. Her mother was convinced she had no idea where Hermione got her taste for sweets from.

"No, Hermione," her mum chuckled light-heartedly, rolling her eyes amusedly, "this isn't about corrosion of your enamel."

"Cool," Hermione shrugged, popping the last bit of cake into her mouth. Her dad rolled his eyes.

"Actually, this is a little less trivial than your daily sugar intake," Dad said solemnly. Hermione glanced between her parents and turned to her mother, eyes narrowed and her hands on her waist.

"Are you pregnant?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow threateningly, as if to say '_You'd better tell me the truth!_' Oh, she would be such a good parent! _Not_!

"What?" Mum laughed, surprised.

"Hermione, please be serious," Dad pleaded with a sigh.

"I would, if I knew what I was supposed to be serious about," Hermione prompted.

"Well, poppet," Mum began nervously. "There's…there's something your father and I have to tell you…that we should have told you a long time ago." _I'm adopted_, Hermione joked.

"Before you say anything, I already _know..._Father Christmas doesn't exist," Hermione said, and her parents' worried expressions relaxed a little.

"Hermione, what your mum's trying to say is…well, you are adopted," Dad said, and had Hermione still been eating her tea-cake she probably would have choked. _Urgh. Definitely might vomit_, she thought, massaging her stomach, which she had just filled with a brie-and-grapes sandwich, cheese and onion crisps, a Diet Coke and a slice of the banana-bread she'd made this morning.

"Huh?"

"Hermione, darling, now, we know you're not dim-witted," Dad joked feebly, looking on helplessly as Hermione stared at her parents. _Who they fuck are they if they're not my parents?_ She thought. No, this was some form of practical joke. Her dad had a sense of humor when he wanted one. There was no way she could be adopted. She was brown-eyed and brunette, like both her parents, she had her mother's womanly hourglass figure, her father's penchant for politics and her mother's love of learning.

"Honey, now, we know this is probably very difficult to digest," Mum said gently. _You're telling me_, Hermione thought, kneading her stomach, wincing painfully. "You have to understand that we—well, _we_ understood that you were ours, unconditionally. We didn't think you'd ever have to find out unless you had some horrible accident and needed a transplant—heaven forbid!"

"What does that mean?" Hermione asked, glancing at her mum, frowning. _Thought they'd never have to tell me?_ She thought disbelievingly. What was worse than thinking she was adopted was the fact that she could have led her entire life without knowing it. _Would you have cared if you'd never found out?_ She asked herself rationally. _No_. Mum and Dad _were_, and always would be, her parents. There were photographs on the walls—all of them motionless, of course—of her, from the age of one day old to just last week at the little barbecue down the road.

"Well, you have to understand that the woman who brought you to us said you had no one else," Mum said tremulously. "She said you had no other family. Of course, how could we refuse you when we saw you, hm?" She gave Hermione a tentative little smile, nudging her jaw with a curled finger. Hermione jerked her head away, annoyed.

"So why tell me all this?" Hermione asked hostilely, glaring at her parents. _What purpose will it possibly serve?_ She thought, annoyed. The doorbell rang, and her parents started.

"Oh, good lord, that's probably them," Mum said in a hushed whisper, her fingers pressed to her lips, eyes wide. Dad glanced at Hermione and sighed.

"Well—and we didn't know about this until this morning, when the letter arrived at the office—your birth-parents are coming," Dad said. The doorbell rang again, as if a small child was outside and obsessed with pressing the tantalizing button. Dad turned on his heel and walked out of the kitchen, into the hallway and to the front-door. The Granger house was a large one, in the middle of the countryside, twenty minutes from Winchester. Mum tried to block Hermione's view of the front-door as she heard hushed conversation in the porch.

"I, well, you have to understand we've only just told her. You didn't give us very much time," her dad said nervously. Someone responded and her dad sighed. "Well, if you're sure. It could get ugly, I'm warning you now." _He's not wrong_, she thought, and set her face in a determined scowl as her father returned.

"Jeannie, why don't you put the kettle on?" Dad suggested, and Hermione still glared resolutely at him, arms folded across her chest. "Hermione, why don't you come with me?" His nerve was failing him, she could tell; his smile was strained, and his eyes showed how upset he was if the lines of stress in his face didn't. She traipsed behind him; arms clamped over her voluptuous chest, scowl set, and entered the living-room by the door at the foot of the stairs.

**A.N.**: Again, all credit goes to the infamous _mellowenglishgal! _Please follow this, should have an update soon.

Loves, ~Terra


	2. Chapter 2: A Nott

**Disclaimer**: I don't own HP!

**Author's Note**: Again, all credit goes to _mellowenglishgal_! I adopted this from her and this is all hers!

"Well…here she is," Dad said lamely, and Hermione glared at him before looking at the others in the room. There were three other people._ Wizards_, was her first thought, catching sight of the woman's robes rather than her face. _Wizards. I'm…not Muggle-born_, she thought, stunned. The woman stood up immediately, with a delicate rustle of the expensive embroidered silk robes and the tinkle of her little earrings. Hermione glared at her. She was very lovely; tall, slim, graceful, with a coiffure of gorgeous golden curls that cascaded to her strong yet elegant shoulders. She clasped elegant hands in front of her as she watched Hermione hopefully. Scowling deeper, she glanced at the two men. One was definitely older, maybe in his early fifties, but with a head of light brown hair, graying in places.

_Oh god. His teeth_. Because he had smiled. She would never be able to look at a picture of Steven Tyler again. Because _this man_ had _her teeth_. Huge white teeth, straight, neat, too big. His face was thin, the cheekbones defined, the nose pert, a tiny bit of stubble below his lower-lip.

She glanced at the younger man. _He's not a man_, she corrected herself, looking at him. He was her age. And what was more, she recognized him. Vaguely; he was in her Arithmancy class, the only Slytherin. But he was very tall and excessively handsome. _Oh holy Garrett Hedlund_, she thought, because that was the figure to which she could most closely compare Theodore Nott. A lot of the girls in her year—their year—liked to look at Teddy Nott, even if he was deemed too proud to talk to anyone, except perhaps Draco Malfoy or Blaise Zabini.

_Urgh!_

_I'm related to the Notts._

_My _dad_ tried to kill me!_

_The fucking twat almost got us all killed_.

"Hello Harmonia." Hermione glanced around. _There's another girl? I have an invisible identical twin?_ But the woman was looking directly at her.

"My name is Hermione," Hermione growled obstinately. The woman blinked once and nodded, and even _smiled_ slightly at Hermione's rudeness.

"So Peronel got _that _wrong," the man said, frowning at nothing in particular. "You'll have to forgive us—" he man started, and she glared.

"Why?" Her snap at him stopped him short. She glanced at the woman, with a sinking feeling realizing she had her eye-shape, if the man's coloring. Widely-spaced, the woman's were a light blue, giving her a dreamy, poetic, far-away look. _Probably married her for her looks_, she thought snidely. She had read about pureblood families. Marriages were rarely based on love. Financial or political status mattered more.

"Hermione, don't be rude," Dad admonished, giving her a look. She glowered back. _I'll be rude if I fucking want to_, she thought, challenging him with a look. Mum used her hip to open the office doors and came around to them from the other end of the long living-room, holding three tea-cups.

"I'll be back in a minute," she smiled, but it was strained, and she disappeared through the study again, returning with three more cups of tea, balancing two atop a Tupperware box filled with bourbon creams. Dad moved to one of the armchairs and sank down weakly, reaching for his tea, which he gulped down to have something to do. Theodore sat watching his hands as he clasped them, resting his forearms on his knees, his dad was making little exclamations about the bourbon creams—which were a thoroughly Muggle biscuit—and the woman was holding her teacup in trembling hands. Hermione had no sympathy for her feelings whatsoever.

"So, I think…well, I think we should start with some explanations," Mum began tremulously. "I don't even understand all of this myself."

"The fault is mine," Mr. Nott said, half a biscuit perched between his lips—_my lips_, Hermione thought, her eyes burning.

"William, of course it isn't; don't say that," his wife said gently. "It's Peronel's fault. And mine for taking her word so faithfully."

"Get on with it," Theodore said impatiently, scowling at his parents. "I want to know. And Hermione's never been very patient in discovering new things." He glanced at her and Hermione tweaked an eyebrow. They had been rivals for the top grade in Arithmancy since third year, and before now she'd never actually heard his voice. He never said a word in lessons, but still managed to maintain that just-below-Top grade she always beat by a half-mark or something infuriatingly close like that. His voice was deep, raw, like his—_our_—father's.

"Well," Mrs. Nott started, taking a steadying breath and a sip of strong builder's tea, "it begins when I went into labor with you, Hermione," she said, and gave Hermione a glowing smile that made Hermione feel slightly guilty of the dark looks she'd been giving her. "William had gone to Venice on a business venture that week—you were two weeks early—and my…my _sister_, Peronel, was the only one I could contact. She helped deliver you, and when I asked whether you were alright…she said you were stillborn." Hermione had never had any siblings—_well except _him_ sitting there_, she thought—but she felt like she did have brothers and sisters through the Weasley family, and through Harry's close friendship. But she could not even imagine one of the Weasley boys doing that to their brothers—definitely not to Ginny.

"Whatever her motives were then, I don't know," Mrs. Nott said tearfully. "Jealous, I have always supposed, because I married William." Hermione glanced at Theodore, who shot her a mildly expressive look that told her there was an amusing little tidbit to learn, and at her—at William, who shook his head slightly, squeezing his wife's hand comfortingly. "She had always loved William. I suppose it was too much for her that I had his child as well as—well, him," she gave William such a glowing smile Hermione wondered how he could _not_ jump her right there. His dark eyes roved ravenously over her exquisite face, and Hermione's regard for their love for each other warmed.

"So…what did she do with…with the baby?" Hermione asked, unable to say 'me'.

"Well—and I have to say, any woman who has ever given birth knows that our hormones are all over the place, and we're exceptionally vulnerable," she said tremulously, and Hermione thought she was probably reliving the experience, or the memory of it anyway. "So when she left the room with—well, with what I _assumed_ was a dead baby, well, I was too upset to do anything."

"You never cried when you were a baby," Jean said, sniffling even as she smiled. "You remember, I told you that? Never, _ever_ made a peep unless it was a giggle…You were such a sweet baby." _And what's that supposed to mean?_ She was going to ask, but didn't.

"Peronel confessed everything she had done last Christmas, on her death-bed," William said, and his wife's features hardened and she nodded. "She told us she had taken you to a Muggle household in the countryside, that the name was Granger. Teddy discovered you." Hermione glanced at Theodore and narrowed her eyes. He gave her a wary look. "Oh—you mustn't think Teddy had any involvement in this. He only found out last Christmas we had a 'stillborn child' before he was born, when he was _digging through my files_," William said, arching an eyebrow at his son. Theodore rolled his eyes, bored. _Insolently handsome, like Sirius_, she thought, with a pang. What Sirius wouldn't have given to see how low and malicious some people could go to torture their families!

"So what do you want with me?" Hermione asked, but her voice was despondent, not aggressive. Her parents—her _birth_ parents—glanced at each other and at Theodore. The woman's eyes sparkled.

"We—we would _really_ like to get to know you, Hermione," she said, her lyrical voice constricted. "Teddy's told us all he can about you, but…" _it hardly fills an A3-page_, Hermione thought, glancing at her _brother_."We know you turn eighteen in September, and so if…if you wanted to come and stay with us for a few weeks, perhaps during the summertime before you finish school, we would _really_ love it. But, of course, we understand that you have a family already." The woman—her mother—gave Hermione's parents a warm smile.

"And from what Teddy's told us, they've done a remarkable job with you," William smiled, flashing all of those oversized white teeth. Hermione flushed embarrassedly. Her dad always said her failing, like her mother's, was her inability to take a compliment if it wasn't work-oriented. "Prefect?" She nodded. Yes, she _was_ a Prefect. _If only I didn't have to work with lay-about Ron_, she thought with a tiny sigh.

"Hermione, why don't we go upstairs," Mum suggested quietly. "We can talk. Charlie, don't you dare eat all those biscuits." Dad glanced guiltily at his wife as he retrieved two biscuits from the box and William helped himself again, grinning. Hermione followed her mother upstairs, around the landing to her bedroom, which overlooked the road and the field beyond, filled with horses.


	3. Chapter 3: Packing

**Disclaimer**: Well don't you think if I owned HP I'd have the male characters chained up in my bedroom for my amusement? And the girls too. I'd like to scratch Cho Chang's face off with my incredibly short nails! Mwahaha!

**Author's Note**: Please look at last Author's note is you didn't read it, gives you all you need to know. I LOVE YOU _mellowenglishgal!_

Her bedroom was sparsely furnished, but absolutely _filled_ with stuff. Books, mostly—the columns of books on their sides reached the window-sill and higher around the window—but she had her own magical record-player and a collection of vinyl's—her guilty secret—and a few stuffed toys, and the dolls' house she'd had since her fifth birthday, which her paternal great-uncle had made for her. Mum closed the door behind her and sighed softly as she folded her arms across her chest, eyeing Hermione. Hermione just stood there, mimicking the pose she had picked up from her mother at the age of three.

"So what do you think?" Mum asked edgily.

"What do I think about what?" She started cleaning up her desk, which was still littered with her scrap parchment and broken quills. She'd already finished most of her summer assignments.

"Hermione, don't circle the issue," Mum said calmly. "Would you like to go and live with them?" Hermione glared at her mother.

"How can you even ask me that?" she snapped. "_You_ are my parents, no matter if that woman gave birth to me." Mum gave her a watery smile.

"Think about it, Hermione. We know you've always found it…difficult, being here and being a witch," Mum said carefully, and Hermione glanced at her, frowning. She'd always tried so hard to hide the fact that her being unable to do magic at home for practice irritated her, and though she'd never told her parents how much it hurt to be called a 'Mudblood', they knew it wasn't a phrase to be taken lightly. She hated the lack of resources, most of all. What she couldn't have done if she'd had magical parents… She licked her lips and swallowed, glancing back at her desk and busying her hands tidying her pens into an empty jam-jar. Her parents were both very ecology-conscious; they recycled everything. Babies too, apparently!

"But if I go with them, it'll be like I don't love you or appreciate what you've done for me," Hermione sniffled, inhaling sharply through her nose to stop it and quell the burning feeling at the back of her throat.

"Hermione, we've had you for nearly eighteen years," Mum smiled tearfully, resting her clever hands on Hermione's shoulders. "And I wouldn't give back a single _day_ for the world."

"But?" Her mother was sometimes so predictable. Jean chuckled softly.

"_But_, we _have_ had you for eighteen years, and that couple downstairs not at all…it seems selfish to keep you to ourselves, especially since you have so little time left as a student. You'll be going on to bigger and better things," Mum smiled. "You want to make a difference in your world. I'm afraid to say it, but your birth-parents have a much better position to help you after you finish Hogwarts." Hermione nodded. She had a point.

"Well, it's _entirely_ up to you," Jean said, making distinct eye-contact with her. "And whichever you choose, your daddy and I will love you unconditionally."

"You always have," Hermione said, sniffling as she rested her head on her mum's shoulder, wrapping her arms loosely around her waist. Jean wrapped her arms around Hermione and squeezed, rubbing her back soothingly.

"So shall I tell them you're up here packing?" Mum asked, sniffling as well.

"What am I going to do without you?" Hermione asked quickly, clinging to her mother. "You and Dad. You're so wise…You're the moral centre of the universe." Jean chuckled.

"Confidence; sweetheart. You have a good heart, and you've always had a strong conscience. Just be sure you use your head," Mum said, pressing her forehead to Hermione's. "You'll be fine." With that confident remark, her mum left the room, closing the door behind her like Hermione liked it. Shut, so she could have her privacy. Hermione had her doubts.

For one; her father was a reformed Death Eater. Secondly, she didn't even know her mother's first name. Thirdly, she had been her brother's academic rival for four years. That was all she knew about her family. _Still, it's a good start_, she thought, unlatching the trunk she usually kept hidden in her wardrobe in case one of the neighbors' kids came round and asked awkward questions about her 'love of antiques,' as her parents referred to her using quills and parchment and leather-bound books. She had flicked her wand and her books were tucking themselves orderly into the bottom of her trunk when her bedroom door opened.

"Not knocking anymore?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder, expecting to see one of her parents. "Oh." It was Theodore.

"Sorry," he said awkwardly, hand fluttering on the door-handle. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah." Hermione nodded absently and continued to unpack her dresser, keeping her underwear and bras hidden from him. He might be her brother, but he was also a complete stranger. She heard a loud gasp and jumped, eyes wide, seeing Theodore holding _her_ little purple baby My Little Pony with a fro of orangey-pink hair and a little star fruit painted on its butt.

"_Who_ is this?" Theodore asked, his features lit up with incredulity as he stood over her bedside cabinet.

"No one. Never seen her before in my life," Hermione snapped. _Wash your mouth out!_ She gasped, horrified she was rejecting her pony.

"What's her name?" Hermione glared at Theodore; he smirked.

"Stussi!" Hermione snapped, snatching the plastic pony out of her brother's hands. "What are you _doing_ up here?"

"It was getting emotional down there. I thought I'd come up and help you pack. You listen to _Aerosmith_?" Theodore said incredulously behind her, and Hermione glanced over her shoulder to see him flicking through her box of records on the floor, at the foot of an overflowing bookcase emptying itself into the trunk, her record-player perched precariously on top.

"Steven Tyler _is_ a god," Hermione remarked. Aerosmith, her dirty little secret. She _loved_ rock music. Sure, Elvis was good when she was in the mood to be serenaded, or when she wanted to prance around the house in her underwear and bake treats, but Aerosmith, she just _had_ to play the air-drums and bang her head and sing along as loud as she could.

"So you chose an ex-druggie-alcoholic for your idol," Theodore said thoughtfully. He glanced over his shoulder and smirked. "And here I had all this respect for you!"

"What do _you_ listen to?" Hermione asked accusingly.

"At the moment…Within Temptation. I love 'Memories'," Teddy said thoughtfully. "I don't know why, though." Hermione gawped.

"I listen to the same music as Theodore Nott," she said weakly, utterly disturbed. "I think I have to kill myself."

"Oh, it doesn't end there," Theodore said, grinning, as he reached for the shelf above her bed, which she usually had to stand on to get anything down, and retrieved three books in one of his large clever hands: The Vampire Chronicles. "Are you Louis or Lestat?"

"Maharet," Hermione said softly. She glanced at Teddy again and smiled softly. "You're Louis."

"Now why do you say that?" Teddy asked softly. She liked his voice. Deep, raw, soothing, at the same time. Hermione shrugged.

"You're just always on your own at school," she said softly. _Always the loner_, she thought. Teddy chuckled softly.

"Yeah. That's me; the lonely, romantic intellectual," Teddy said teasingly. "And what about you, hm? Do you want to know what I think of you?" Hermione didn't know if she wanted to hear his opinion, but they _were_ family, and she would be living with him for a while, so it was probably best to clear the air.

"Tell me."

Teddy smiled softly, so that a tiny dimple winked in the right-hand corner of his mouth.

"I think you _are_ the smartest witch in our year," Teddy said thoughtfully. "And I think you have exceptionally good principles… I'm not sure you'd have such a strong conscience if you had been raised in our family, but perhaps that's a good thing."

"So you don't resent me?"

"Why would I resent you?"

"Well—I always beat you in Arithmancy scores," Hermione shrugged. Other than that, she couldn't think of any better reason, since they had such sparse contact with each other.

"By half a point!" Teddy said indignantly. "Anyway, you put a lot of effort into your work."

"And you don't?"

"Not really. It just helps that we have a lot of dunces in our year," Teddy smirked. He sat down cross-legged on her bed, watching her pack away more of her books. "You know, you don't have to do this if you don't really want to."

"But I do," Hermione said, surprising herself. She glanced at Teddy; he was examining her Build-a-Bear honey-bear, who wore a sweet blue-green-and-yellow gingham dress and ribbons on her ears, and frowned bemusedly at her. "Mum and I talked about it, and a lot of the things she said make sense."

"Like what?"

"Like…like how she knows it's difficult for me, being the only witch in the family. They don't exactly understand everything…hardly anything, actually," Hermione said sadly. "Especially now, when I'm so close to my N.E.W.T.s and working. They wouldn't know where to start in helping me look for a job, or choose a career. I think being with your family…our family, I don't know. It would make a lot of things a lot easier."

"Good. I mean—we wouldn't have wanted you to live with us if it made you unhappy," Teddy said softly, handing her Shirley—the bear—and picking up the baby-blanket Hermione had had since her parents 'brought her home from the hospital'. And Baby, the little plastic doll six inches tall with two great dreadlocks spiked into horns, completely naked. The toys were all stuffed down the side of her IKEA daybed, filling the gap between the mattress and the wall so she didn't have to worry about hands creeping up from under the bed and grabbing her in the night.

"So where do you live, anyway?" Hermione asked curiously. It might help to know a little bit about where she was going to be living.

"We have an estate in Derbyshire," Teddy said, smiling. "At Christmastime it always snows, and the lake freezes over and—well, one year Dad_ completely_ wiped-out when he was ice-skating." His deep laugh resonated in her small bedroom. "And Mummydear has a walled rose-garden she tends herself. She loves that garden." Hermione loved roses. Peonies more, and freesias, but she loved roses too. She got an image in her head of her mother—the stunning blonde downstairs—dressed in a delicate lace tea-gown, perhaps a wide-brimmed hat perched on her head, shielding her delicate complexion from the sun, as she cut roses for a vase in her dressing-room.

"Do you always go home for Christmas?"

"Always. Mummydear makes the best mince-pies," Teddy smiled. _Mummydear!_ She shook her head slightly and smiled, and Teddy glanced at her as she sat down beside him on the bed, hands resting in her lap. She played absent-mindedly with the plain pale-gold bangle on her right wrist.

"What are they like?" she asked softly, her voice almost hoarse.

"Who? Our parents?" Teddy said quietly. He nudged her playfully and smiled. "I don't know really. Well, I suppose I _do_. Dad likes to laugh. All the time. And Mummydear likes pretty things, and she likes to paint and cook and if you'll let her she'll buy the whole of Peony Crescent for your wardrobe." Hermione laughed softly. Peony Crescent was one of the—well, the _only_ real centre of couture boutiques for the magical lady of Society.

"You don't have to buy me anything," Hermione said nervously, heat flushing her face. Teddy smiled.

"I know. Seems to me you already have your own personal library—oh! Peter Rabbit!" he gasped and squirmed gleefully as he opened the pages of Apply Dapply's Nursery Rhymes.

"You know Peter Rabbit?" She was already a little bit thrown off that her pureblood family knew Muggle culture—she had to stop herself from thinking of William as a 'Death Eater' only, because he had bared his forearms downstairs—his very, um, _unique_ personal style, mirroring rock-stars—and showed no sign of tattoos other than his wife's name scrawled in elegant cursive over a banner that flitted in a gentle breeze across a rose-flower on his right forearm. _What did it say…what did it say?_ She thought desperately, trying to remember. It had begun with a P; she had gleaned that much from a quick flit of her eyes over the tattoo.

"Purebloods _can_ be interested in Muggle things," Teddy said, with a heavy sigh, closing the little book. "Even if they _are_ Death Eaters," he added, even quieter. Hermione resisted shivering.

"The elephant in the room," she said quietly, and Teddy made a soft, thoughtful noise.

"We're not as bad as everyone thinks," Teddy said quietly. "My dad was younger when he took the Mark. His parents had both been killed when he was really young, so he didn't have anyone to raise him with good ethics. This time around, he didn't have any choice but to protect his assets." Hermione could understand that. Of course, that's what Harry said Draco Malfoy was doing in acting under the Mark; protecting his mother's life. Hermione admired that, a little bit.

"And what about you? Harry says you never took the Mark," Hermione said, and Teddy scoffed softly.

"No, I never took it. I may be in Slytherin, but when you grow up in that House, it's…well, you grow up quickly or you don't survive. Just because I was in that house doesn't mean I agree with the ideology behind it. I'm a—_we_ are purebloods by birth, and I was too young to know any better."

"Sometimes I suppose it's easier to keep your head down and stay silent," Hermione mused.

"Sometimes," Teddy agreed glumly. Hermione glanced at him, at the handsome features that were drawn with what she recognized easily as sadness.

"But it sure is lonely all by yourself," she said softly. She could remember back to the beginning of first year when the boys had scorned her for being so stuck up, and when Ron wasn't talking to her…well, she didn't know what she'd do if she didn't have her boys, and Ginny, of course: Her one outlet of reality that kept her _sane_ when dealing with the completely _clueless_ boys. Teddy glanced at her slowly and nodded, playing with the stuffed green frog she slept with tucked to her chest every night. It had meant to be a gift to Ginny Weasley in her first year, but seeing how her poem to Harry had mortified her beyond words when it had been read out in front of a corridor-full of people, she had thought better of reminding her of _that_ humiliation and kept it for herself.

"Yeah. It is," he nodded. A few minutes of uncomfortable silence passed between them while her things hovered over to the trunk and packed themselves neatly and she glanced at her brother again. They had the same nose, but her jawbone was squarer than his smoothed bone structure. No girl looking at this boy could possibly look away again without gasping internally, all the air sucked from their lungs with yearning.

"Um…what is our mother's name?" Hermione asked, flushing deeply with embarrassment. Teddy didn't laugh.

"Phaedra," Teddy said, the word rolling off his tongue with obvious affection. _Phaedra. That's pretty_, she thought. Downstairs someone's deep laughter—the men's—roared and the women laughed softly. Hermione and Teddy glanced at each other, both wondering what was going on down there.

"Think they've spiked their tea?" Teddy asked confidentially, and Hermione laughed. When everything had miraculously packed neatly into her trunk, and with a last sweep of the room, the wardrobe and under the bed, Hermione exited the bedroom and Teddy helped her carry the trunk downstairs, fearing of using magic in front of her mum and dad, and to her absolute _horror_ she found her parents sitting on the larger sofa between William and P-Mummy going through painfully familiar photograph albums.

"Oh _no_!" She wailed and buried her face in her hands, and Teddy dove to the back of the sofa, leaning over his Mummy's shoulder to look at Hermione's baby-pictures from when she was a year-old, wearing nineties' floral dresses with her little tuft of curling pale brunette hair clipped in a little flowered hair-tie, feeding a dog-biscuit to Lucy, Nana Granger's over-excitable cocker-spaniel who had been put down after Nana had her series of heart-attacks when Hermione was seven, and the pictures of her in a tiny red and white-polka-dot swimsuit, sitting in the washing-basket and being doused with water from a watering-can in Nana's back-garden, thoroughly unimpressed with being soaked.

"Aw, you were so _cute_, Hermione," Teddy said, giving her a mischievous grin. "Do you have any copies we could take with us?"

"Hey, easy Teddy-bear, or we'll show Hermione _your _baby-pictures when we get home. And _yours_ move," William warned, and Teddy's eyes widened and he straightened up, averting his eyes from the photograph-album. Hermione smirked at Teddy, eager to see these threatening, moving baby-pictures.

"Oh. Hermione, you're…you're ready to go," Mum said, smiling. It was no different to her leaving for the Weasley's', as she had done every summer since first year.

"Well, I…maybe I could come home for Christmas…or the Easter holidays," Hermione said doubtfully.

"I don't think so, poppet," Dad chuckled light-heartedly. "We have something _else_ to tell you." Hermione glanced between them warily. What could they _possibly_ come up with now?

"You know we've always talked about selling this house and packing up the business when you left home, so we could do a bit of world-travelling," Mum said, and Hermione's heart sank heavily. "Who knew today would be that day!"

"Your Mum and I are…well, we're moving to Sydney," Dad announced, beaming excitedly. Hermione's jaw dropped.

"In _Australia_?" she gasped, horrified.

"That's right poppet," Dad smiled.

"But you must _promise_ us we'll still be invited to your wedding," Mum said seriously. Hermione rolled her eyes. For all her smarts, Mum still wanted to see Hermione settled down with a family as well as happy in her career choices. But she couldn't believe…well, she _could_; her parents had always wanted to go to Australia, on _holiday_, not to live! Her uncle lived out there and was always raving about it.

She saw so little of her parents outside of term-time she felt extremely guilty as she said her goodbyes. The Notts left the living-room and waited outside, by the sleek silver Mercedes they had arrived in, and Hermione only sniffled a little bit as she left the house. Mum crossed her arms over her chest and waved; Dad smiled and waved and put an arm around Mum's shoulders as Hermione buckled herself into the backseat of the Mercedes beside Teddy.


	4. Chapter 4: Homecoming

**Disclaimer**: Uh. Duh!

**Author's Note**: All credit belongs to _mellowenglishgal! __**Love ya, girl!**_

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Phaedra asked softly, glancing back from the passenger seat. Hermione glanced back at her adoptive parents, waving cheerily from the driveway, then looked at her birth mother and nodded. Teddy, sprawled luxuriously in his oversized seat, nudged her leg with his foot and gave her a tiny smile, handing her a small novel; Jane Austen, _Pride and Prejudice_, and a very battered copy, but Hermione's favourite of the six novels. William drove away from the house at normal—_Muggle_—speed and out of the village, but as soon as they had cleared Martin's Lane he switched to the Wizard-mode and they zipped along the country lanes until they joined the blue-marked motorway up to Derbyshire.

"So, Hermione, what subjects do you take besides Arithmancy?" Phaedra asked interestedly, as she was in the best position to talk to her, as Hermione sat behind William.

"Everything except Divination," Hermione said, with a bite of contemptuousness towards the highly unpredictable subject. She liked things methodical, orderly.

"_Everything_?" Phaedra's large blue eyes popped out of her head. "What, _every _subject? How is that possible?"

"Well…" she glanced around. They _were_ her family, and she wanted to start things off completely truthful. "Professor McGonagall had to write a lot of letters to the Ministry, but I had a Time-Turner in third year that helped me get to all of my classes." Teddy's eyes expanded like their mother's did; only his eyes were sepia brown instead of blue.

"That must have been a _tad_ draining," William said, chuckling. "How did you come to stop taking Divination?"

"It was such a woolly subject," Hermione said, wrinkling her nose. "A load of rubbish, if you ask me, all guesswork and smokescreens."

"Your mind is better suited to more methodical subjects," William said appreciatively. "I took Divination, too. What a hoax! I swear I left that room high as a kite every lesson!"

"It's where he got his nickname 'Herbs,'" Teddy whispered, and Hermione giggled softly, glancing at her father's eyes in the rear-view mirror.

"What was that, Teddy?" William asked lightly.

"Nothing Dad," Teddy smirked, his cheeks going red.

"So which subjects are you continuing this year, Hermione?" Phaedra asked interestedly.

"Well, I'm definitely dropping Care of Magical Creatures," Hermione said, with a shudder remembering Blast-Ended Skrewts. Teddy did likewise in his seat.

"I heard Hagrid has a very…unusual teaching style," William said carefully.

"The hippogriffs in third year were absolutely amazing," Teddy said, awestruck. "And the Thestrals would have been wonderful, you know, if we could all actually _see_ them." Hermione glanced at her brother. Obviously he had been one of the ones to leave the castle during the Battle. She didn't blame him. All throughout the journey, they continued to ignore the Muggle traffic and conversation flowed freely after the first few textbook questions and a few uncomfortable silences, but by the time they neared Derbyshire they were all arguing good-naturedly about their favourite authors, historians, musicians, anything and everything, in conversation. Much more animated than with Charlie and Jean—_Mum and Dad_, she corrected herself mentally as she compared the ease with which she talked to William and Phaedra because they slipped from Muggle authors to Wizard historians and philosophers and alchemists seamlessly.

"Alright, here we are," William said, drawing their attention to the windows; the trees of the family's woodland had cleared and Hermione scooted closer to Teddy, peering through his window as William stopped the car, making it teeter on top of a soft hill. A lake glittered in the stunning ruby sunset, the lawn leading up to the most beautiful Victorian mansion she had ever seen, surpassing the sets of _Atonement_, perfectly tended and emerald-green, dotted with jewel-bright wildflowers.

"How do you like the house, Hermione?" Phaedra whispered, and Hermione couldn't suppress a smile. William and Teddy both chuckled softly as the car took them closer to the house, affording an excellent view of the surrounding woodlands and hills.

"Well, what do you all want for dinner tonight?" William asked, as Hermione's trunk hovered behind her as they walked to the front steps. The house was enormous, easily twenty times bigger than her _other _parents' three-bedroom semi, and this was just the series of public rooms, not the living quarters in the wings behind. "We're having takeout. You pick, Hermione."

"Um…" She had no idea the Notts liked Muggle takeout. "I…I like Thai-food."

"Oh, there's a wonderful Thai-restaurant in town," Teddy said excitedly. Phaedra rolled her eyes, as William retrieved the takeout menus and placed an order at the restaurant to be collected by him in twenty minutes, using the magical telephone in the hallway connected to the Muggle network.

"The boys love their Thai, and curry, and Chinese, and fish and chips," Phaedra said softly, chuckling. "You'd never believe I cook them full meals every day. Come on, I'll show you to your bedroom." And, offering her arm to Hermione, she strolled leisurely up the _Titanic_-esque split staircase to the full gallery lined with portraits of the family. There were two wings, she was told, one for them—for her and Teddy's rooms—and another for William and Phaedra.

"This whole house is…amazing," Hermione said, scrutinizing the subjects of every moving portrait as they passed along the corridor lined with expensive hand-woven imported rugs and exquisite antiques. Grimmauld Place was definitely _nothing_ to Ayden Estate. And Malfoy Manor had none of the home's beauty or warmth. And, Hermione was eternally grateful, there were no maniacal black-haired witches torturing her.

"I'm very glad you think so," Phaedra smiled warmly. "I was hoping you would like it, and that you will for a very long time."

Phaedra kept talking, about the family, about the estate, asking Hermione random questions, like how she liked her eggs cooked and if she liked peppermint creams, whether she preferred velvet or satin, where she had obtained the bangle on her wrist, remarking that she was such a tomboyish kind of girl who didn't care what other people thought of her appearance, in a good way, because she was apparently so focused on her studies, "beautifying your brain," Phaedra said, with a smile. They reached the end of a wide corridor lined with antique chairs and loveseats and fireplaces with two doors before them: as in Grimmauld Place, the doors had little plaques naming the occupants: on the left was Hermione, the left, Theodore.

Hermione couldn't help but notice her plaque looked so shiny and new, and Teddy's looked almost exactly the same, only a few finger prints disrupting the shining gold. _Rich family, of course. _

The bedroom was lovely; pale gold wallpaper lined the tall walls, embellished by matte silver flowers, with matching drapes at the tall windows. Luxurious soft rugs of pale gold covered most of the parquet floor and the fireplace was of exceptionally deep, warm gleaming wood, matching the wall behind her as she walked into the bedroom which was lined with tall bookcases. There was even a moving _ladder_ to help her reach the top shelves! As well as the deep, lustrous gold, the room was made even warmer by the hints of deep blood-crimson scattered around the room; the decorative cushions on the queen-sized bed, the pillows on the comfy gold sofa in front of the fire, the lantern-shades of the oil-lamps on the lovely writing-desk, the lining of the cushion on her enormous bay-window.

"Do you like it?" Phaedra asked tentatively. Hermione smiled at her, the first real warm smile she'd been able to give since saying goodbye to her parents.

"It's beautiful. It's very like…"

"The Gryffindor common room," Phaedra smiled, nodding so the tousled curls bounced playfully on her shoulders. "We did a little reconnaissance. We're actually very…_proud_ that you are in Gryffindor. You may make our name respectable—but!" Phaedra's eyes widened and she twisted her hands together nervously. "We—well, I don't mean that—we would never ask you to change your name, Hermione!" Hermione smiled; Phaedra was nervous and embarrassed. "I should have phrased that a little better."

"I think I understand what you mean," Hermione said soothingly, and Phaedra relaxed, smiling.

"Good. Well. Shall I leave you to settle in for a few minutes? The writing-desk is fully-stocked, if you would like to start writing letters to your friends, you can borrow my owl—I notice you don't have your own," Phaedra said. "Do you have any pets?"

Hermione smiled sadly, thinking of her only pet.

"I had a cat named Crookshanks," Hermione replied, seeing how her birth mother reacted to the word _had. _Phaedra looked at her sympathetically. "He ran away during the war and… never came back."

"I'm sure everything will be alright, Hermione."

Phaedra left the room, smiling as she closed the bedroom door behind her, and as soon as the soft footfalls had ceased, Hermione glanced at the door on the right-hand wall and jerked it open.

This was a bathroom, with a door opposite hers: there was a walk-in shower, a Jacuzzi-bathtub sunk into the floor with a large window right over it with a view of the gentle river that trickled like a silver snake through the meadows, and a two-sink console with one sink completely empty except a silver toilette set on a silver tray. She made sure Teddy's door was locked before going to the loo and brushing up, flicking a soft horsehair hairbrush through her hair and brushing her teeth. She didn't know how long dinner would be, despite William arranging to collect the takeout—Phaedra said he usually stopped to chat with the restaurant owners—so she sat down at the lovely writing desk and pulled a sheet of hot-pressed paper out of a little drawer, dipped a crystal stylus into a little pot of ink. Hermione loved how everything was so organized and clean. Just like her.

She looked at the paper, and began to write a letter to Harry Potter.

Someone knocked softly on the door. She glanced over her shoulder, wide-eyed, flicking her wand over the letter so the ink dried and she could stuff the paper into an empty drawer, and called a calm "Come in," before Teddy admitted himself into the room. She smiled, slightly relieved to see it was him.

"Hullo," he said pleasantly, strolling over to her, clad in only his jeans, a soft grey cashmere jumper and bare feet, running them over the soft rug as he stood with his hands in his pockets. "So you started writing a letter?" Hermione glanced at the drawer and nodded, tucking a stray strand of thick chocolate hair behind her ear, avoiding his eyes guiltily.

"I started to…but it all just sounds so…"

"Unreal," Teddy supplied, leaning his hind against edge of the desk. Hermione nodded, leaning her head on her hand and sighing, glancing up at her brother. She was definitely having misgivings, now that she was here, now that it was real.

"If I can't tell my friends…"

"You'll find the words," Teddy said soothingly, kneeling down beside her chair. He took a clean sheaf of hot-pressed paper out of the drawer and smoothed it out, handing her the stylus. "They're your best-friends. It doesn't matter what name you have; they'll love you anyway."

"Look at you, being all supportive to your…am I older or younger than you? Or are we twins or something?" Hermione asked, bemused, frowning at her brother. She'd never spoken two words to Teddy at school; she'd never wanted nor needed to, so she wouldn't have paid attention to birthdays. Teddy chuckled softly and passed a hand through his hair in a very James Potter-like impersonation of embarrassment.

"Um…you're older," Teddy said, glancing at her awkwardly. "Your birthday is in September. Mine is in August. August the third." Hermione quickly did the math in her head. September to August. _Eleven months_, she thought, squirming.

"Ew!" she said softly. "That's almost…"

"Indecent?" Teddy nodded. "Yes, I think it is. Witches' bodies heal much quicker because of our magical advances in Healing, anyway."

"I was thinking of the emotional implications…So soon after a stillborn child…" Hermione said softly, and cringed, shivering. She would probably take a lifetime to get over it if she gave birth to a dead child, or an ill child at that. She would never be able to forgive herself.

"For heaven's sake don't ask Dad about it; he'll just say 'Your mummy's a hottie, and I got her'," Teddy said quickly, doing an uncanny impression of their dad, who was of the character that appeared drunk when he wasn't and appeared completely sober when he was; he was high on life.

"Well she is!" Hermione and Teddy glanced at each other, preventing themselves from laughing in surprise, when William appeared in the doorway. He gave them one of his patented grins, the teeth that reminded Hermione so much of her own smile glittering in the lamplight. "Dinner's ready. I _slaved_ away over hot takeout containers."

"We appreciate your efforts, Dad," Teddy said sarcastically, helping Hermione out of her seat, and William chuckled.

"Well, it's the best we could do tonight, and it's the house-elves' night off," William said, and of course, Hermione's interest perked right up.

"You have house-elves?" she said weakly. _OH NO! HYPOCRACY! At least you can call yourself a blood-traitor. Ginny'll love that!_

"Well, yes, _we_ have seven, _but_," William said quickly, as Hermione opened her mouth and Teddy gave him a look, "we freed them two years ago. Now they each get paid ten sickles a week and have Friday evenings and weekends off." Hermione closed her mouth, impressed, and smiled at her father. "So, tell me about SPEW."

"It's not Spew! It's the Society for the Promotion of—!" Hermione stopped her indignant tirade when she realized she wasn't talking to Ron or Harry, but that her dad really _did_ want to know about Elfish Welfare. And Teddy seemed interested too, and they talked about the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare until they reached the kitchen, in which the family predominantly ate because the room was cozier than the high-ceilinged public rooms. There was no precedent for dinnertime; the takeout containers were set on the marble-topped island in the centre and the family grabbed plates and took whatever they wanted—and squabbled over what they didn't get—and sat at the island teasing each other as naturally as if they were just…really good _friends_.

"You'd never guess they have three-course dinners prepared for them every night," Phaedra said, watching her husband and son tussle over the last of the Singapore noodles. "Anyone would think they were raised by wolves."

"We like takeout!" Teddy grunted, holding the container of noodles out of William's reach while William slapped his face playfully to distract him.

"Well, you had better watch out; Hermione is here now, we're on level-pegging: _I _am no longer in the minority. We won't be having curry four nights in a row," Phaedra said triumphantly, smirking, until the noodles tipped onto the floor and she rolled her eyes, sweeping up the mess with her wand while William wailed and Hermione stopped, standing above where the mess had been made and frowning. Phaedra smiled knowingly.

"You can use magic now, Hermione," she said softly, a dimple—_Teddy's dimple_—winking in her right cheek. Teddy grinned at her as Hermione slipped back onto her barstool, thinking. _I can do magic now. WHHEEEEEEEEE!…I wonder if they—we—have a library…_


	5. Chapter 5: The Malfoys!

**Disclaimer**: Duh.

**Author's Note**: to _mellowenglishgal, _who wrote this all! Love ya, girlie!

Hermione rolled over, and promptly fell out of bed with a _bang_ and a groan as she thoroughly winded herself, her arm tucked under her body, smacking her forehead on the carpet enough to feel like carpet-burn. _Ow_. She frowned down at the carpet. Hers was blue. This was gold. _Eh?_ She picked her head up and frowned around the room; _gold and red…school's not started yet. Oh, I understand. Dream…nice dream; I'm Head Girl. This must be my _private_ bedroom away from those featherbrained little—oh, hang on!_ She saw the desk, once she had pulled herself up off the floor using the duvet, and the letter she had written last night to Harry, folded and sealed with the Nott family-crest in scarlet wax. A bear. In the tired haze, Hermione realized the symbolism of such an animal. A bear represents wisdom. And _change. _How ironic.

"Oh yeah," she said quietly, smiling softly as she looked around the room again. The wallpaper shimmered in the mid-morning sunlight as she opened the curtains onto a view of the lake and the trees and a few of the hills far off in the distance. _Wow_. Hermione wasn't one for enjoying nature—walking around in it, rather—but she loved enjoying views. And this; this was one of the best, behind the Hogwarts grounds, of course. Tugging her dressing-gown out of her trunk (which she hadn't unpacked last night for want of time before the effects of a full stomach of Thai and laughing at William and Teddy's squabbling taunts so hard her stomach hurt and tears rolled down her face had set in) she shuffled out of her bedroom and followed the path to the kitchen.

It was strange, seeing Phaedra and William bustling around the kitchen together, William feeding Phaedra a freshly-picked strawberry that went onto the plates of food they were preparing. At home—her _old_ home—her parents would already have left by the time Hermione woke up, which wasn't late, and busy all day until five o'clock. And Teddy was beaming and laughing as he flipped crepes in the air and caught them in the pan again, perfectly. The island was well-stocked with fresh fruit, boxes of breakfast cereals, even a can of Muggle _Ambrosia_ rice-pudding.

"Hey! There she is! Morning, Hermione," William beamed at her, handing Phaedra a plate of freshly-cooked crepes and strawberries, giving her a kiss on the lips that wasn't the 'hello, dear' kind of brush-off kiss before they both ran out the front-door.

"Hi," Hermione said shyly, settling on a barstool and watching Teddy flip another crepe. The most her dad could ever manage by way of flipping things was a home-prepared stir-fry from Sainsbury's, and even then he usually got most of the egg noodles over the electric hob.

"Are you alright?" Phaedra asked concernedly, cupping Hermione's forehead with a small frown. "You seem pale. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I did, thank you," Hermione smiled. "I haven't been outside very much this week; I've been reading too much."

"Ah, we don't understand that sort of thing here, do we boys?" Phaedra asked, and the two men, both busy with arranging their plates of breakfast, exchanged wide-eyed, innocent expressions. Teddy, she knew, was an incurable bookworm, from the number of times she had seen him in the library at Hogwarts.

_Alright, I could see him being my brother._

"So how did you sleep; was the bed comfortable?" Phaedra asked again. She was probably just as nervous of having Hermione here as Hermione was of being there. Hermione smiled.

"Yes, it was wonderful. I'm just not used to sleeping in a bed that big," Hermione smiled softly. "I fell out." Teddy laughed and set a plate in front of her.

"We have chopped fruit, sugar and lemon, or if you're feeling very sinful, chocolate-spread," he smiled, pushing the offerings forward. Hermione smiled and took the lemon juice.

"Hermione, do you like steak?" William asked, digging through a drawer in the freezer of the industrial-sized chrome Viking fridge-freezer.

"Yes. Why?" Hermione asked.

"We're having company tonight," William sighed heavily.

"Oh _god_," Teddy wailed. "Who is it _this time_?"

"I'm sorry Teddy," William sighed heavily. "I couldn't help it."

"I don't understand why you have these people over for dinner," Teddy glowered. "You don't like them."

"I do not _don't_ like them," William said indignantly, glancing away from the freezer. "I grew up with these people. They're my oldest friends."

"Friends don't sit back and watch you get arrested," Teddy said tartly.

"No, they'd be sitting in the cell next to you," Hermione smiled. With everything she had gone through with Harry and Ron, she knew that if either of them had ever been arrested, she wouldn't settle to let it happen. She'd kick and curse her way into that jail-cell beside them. "Who's coming to dinner tonight?"

"The Malfoys," William sighed heavily, and Hermione choked on her crepe. Teddy thumped her on the back and she took a sip of freshly-pulverized pumpkin juice.

"Dad, this whole evening is just going to turn into a political debate between _you_ and Lucius Malfoy," Teddy said. "And we're going to be the ones to suffer for it."

"My darling boy, you do not know that," William said, giving Teddy a look. "I did not make 900-million galleons from being a pessimist." Hermione choked again. _900_…she gaped, breathless, at her father. _900…million_…

"Went down the wrong hole?" Phaedra said, rubbing her back comfortingly. _The Malfoys_…The last time she'd seen the Malfoys, really _seen_ them, had been in their own drawing-room. They hadn't tortured her, and though she could understand their position, they hadn't exactly jumped in to defend her. _Imagine if Bellatrix Lestrange and Volde—_she shook her head slightly. She could never imagine Voldemort alive again, but the thought of how shocked they would have been, how much Bellatrix would have been punished for torturing the pureblooded daughter of one of her fellow Death Eaters, made Hermione feel a little better about that whole situation.

"Draco is going to be _sick_ when he finds out," Teddy chortled darkly, scribbling a note in the margin of his thin book, dipping his crystal stylus into a tiny inkpot. He sat in one of Hermione's armchairs, an ankle propped on his knee, smoking a cigarette quite lazily, eyes following the tiny print. Hermione cringed guiltily.

"Please don't make a…a big deal out of this," she said quietly, and Teddy laughed softly. "Their family is already under enough pressure from guilt—"

"Requires a conscience, Hermione," Teddy said, glancing at her from his book. Hermione gave him a look.

"Please, promise me. I don't want to make them feel uncomfortable," Hermione said sadly. _More uncomfortable_, she thought. She knew they couldn't possibly be on _friendly_ terms, thrown into the same dining-room together, but she hoped at least her nerve wouldn't fail her and she could be civil. And that she could get away with saying as little to Draco Malfoy as she could.

"So you don't like them?" Hermione asked curiously. From the sounds of it, Teddy did _not _enjoy when the Malfoys came over.

Her brother sighed, using the arm of her comfy chair to put out his cigarette, then waved his wand to fix the damage. He tucked the wood back behind his ear. His wand was particularly short, so he could do so without many problems.

"It's not that I don't like them. In fact, Draco is a good friend."

Hermione couldn't see the words _Draco _and _good friend _in the same sentence, but she didn't interrupt.

"It's his parents I don't enjoy. They are the ones who got my… our… dad _involved_."

Teddy gave Hermione a pointed look, hoping he wouldn't have to explain.

After a few moments, Hermione nodded. The Malfoys had gotten her father a Dark Mark.

It made her hate them all the more. Teddy sighed, when he saw the look of loathing.

"Hey, I felt that way too. But they apologized and all that crap, and our parents forgave them. Lucius and father were good friends as well in their school years, you see, father felt as if he were protecting a friend. I was only left to follow his lead and forgive them also. I did, but only so I wouldn't lose my friendship."

Teddy had moved his leg down and was now resting his elbows on his knees. I could see how confused he still was on the whole subject.

"Well I think you made a good decision." Hermione said after a few seconds. He looked up at her.

Hermione knew he might not have as close a relationship to his friends as she did hers, but she knew she would forgive anyone for anything in order for her to keep her friendships with Harry and Ron. Even if it _was _Draco Malfoy.

"Jesus!" She curled up; knees to her chest, as the bathroom door opened and Teddy emerged.

"Relax, it's only me," Teddy said lazily, sitting down on the closed toilet. "Don't tell me, you're a convent girl? Or is that Presbyterian modesty?" Hermione rolled her eyes: if there was one thing apart from exploitation of minorities that could get her going in an argument, it was religion, which was basically just a history of that very same thing she stood up against.

"Teddy, what are the Malfoys _really_ like?" Hermione asked. She'd been trying to figure it ever since thier conversation that morning. Harry said that Narcissa Malfoy had forfeited everything to find her son, and that Draco was being threatened with the murder of his mother so he would act for Voldemort, and Lucius…well, Harry didn't know much about Lucius Malfoy.

"What you'd expect, really," Teddy shrugged. "Typical family of rich people used to getting their own way. Cissy's alright, though; she's lovely. If Lucius Malfoy hadn't been on the scene, if he'd been imprisoned after the first war, Draco wouldn't have turned out the way he did. Well, that's what Mummydear says, anyway. Dad agrees with her." Yes, Hermione had suspected Narcissa Malfoy had to be the better influence in Draco's upbringing, considering the way Lucius Malfoy behaved with others and with his own family—she could remember Lucius all but bullying Draco in front of other people.

"Do you think it's possible…" she trailed off, frowning at the painted ceiling.

"What?" Teddy prompted.

"Do you think it's possible they really have…_changed_?" Hermione asked, feeling guilty asking it. She didn't like thinking the worst of people, but after what she had endured, well, it was difficult not to see Bellatrix where Narcissa was mentioned. They were sisters, after all. _So were Sirius and Regulus: Look how differently they turned out_, she thought. _Not so different; Regulus was disillusioned in the end_.

"I think there's a capacity in everyone to do the right thing," Teddy said diplomatically. "Narcissa, yes, I know from personal experience she is_ good_, as you'd say. And Draco's never been…well, Dad says he was too young and too conscientious to be a truly loyal Death Eater."

"And by 'loyal', you mean subservient and unquestioning," Hermione added. Teddy nodded. "Harry says Draco was being threatened with his mother's death if he didn't do what Lord Voldemort told him to." Teddy shivered slightly and winced; Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I can believe that. Draco loves his mother more than anything in the world," Teddy said thoughtfully, going to the small cupboard on his side of the bathroom. He kept several pressed shirts in there; it was an airing cupboard and wonderfully warm. "Well, he should; she's the only person he's ever been close with. She's his best-friend."

"Kind of like you and Dad," Hermione remarked, and Teddy shot her a smile from his cupboard. "Is it a mark of a pureblood family, do you think; closeness with your family-members?"

"I wouldn't think so," Teddy said thoughtfully. "Your Weasley family all love each other immensely."

"Yes…Sometimes I think we love _too much_," Hermione said quietly.

"Well, I would rather love too much than not at all," Teddy said wistfully, with a sad smile.

"Have _you_ ever been in love?" Hermione asked interestedly, watching her brother tie a deep navy silk tie around his neck. He tied it, loosed it, and lifted it carefully over his head.

"No. Have you?" She loved Harry and Ron more than anything in the world, but had she ever been _in_ love? No. She was only seventeen, though, so she had her entire life for that sort of thing.

"No. And I don't need a boyfriend to make me happy, contrary to anyone's belief," Hermione said, seething as she swatted at some of the thick bubbles topping her bath. Harry Potter had been obsessed with getting her and Ron together while hunting Horcruxes. He had the lovely Ginny, and he had told her time and time again it kept him going, knowing she was waiting for him to save the day. Teddy chuckled.

"Referring to anyone in specific?" he remarked, smirking, as he picked out a pale blue shirt from the rack.

"Ah! Well," Hermione growled, thinking for a moment before voicing her opinion. "Why is it that everyone feels the heroine _has _to have a love? I am perfectly fine by myself! I don't need some cocky bastard around me just to make me feel pretty and wanted. Pretty doesn't even _begin _to define me."

Teddy scoffed, then a smirk slid on his face.

"I'll bet you anything that if you had worn a lower-cut top and put on a bit of lipstick, you'd have all the boys at Hogwarts _running_ to join S.P.E.W. But you don't. You think too much of yourself to degrade your character like that." (YES, that is an intended dig at the FanFic AU Hermione Grangers out there).

"You really think that of me?" Hermione asked, a little disconcerted. Only Viktor had ever told her outright that she was pretty; she'd blushed, embarrassed, and then he'd curled a finger under her chin and given Hermione her first kiss. As much as she wasn't a girly-girl, she liked kissing like the next hormones-driven tart. She just never got the opportunity to do it because she preferred to read and study than spend that time in front of a mirror.

"Everybody does—well, sometimes not in such _favorable_ phrasing. In Blaise Zabini's immortal words: 'What a waste of boobs'." Hermione laughed out-loud, ducking further under the water, which was covered with half a foot of thick bubbles that smelled like roses and freesias.

"He said that?" Teddy nodded. "My boobs are not _that_ impressive," she said, glancing down at her chest, hidden as it was by bubbles. She was only a C-cup. Average. "I thought he was difficult to impress."

"He _is_," Teddy chuckled deeply. "I think Blaise is probably the only person in the world who could look upon a Veela and see a Banshee." Hermione laughed. "All the boys have noticed you, Hermione; they're just too intimidated to talk to you because you're so smart. Boys like 'em dumb."

"Is that the kind of girl you like, because I know Daphne Greengrass is the prettiest girl in Slytherin," Hermione smirked. _And that's not saying much_, she added spitefully. Daphne used to tease Hermione about her hair.

"Oh, duckface? God no; I wouldn't go near her with a ten-foot broomstick," Teddy said, animating his eyebrows the way Hermione could. "She's too cold and insipid for my liking."

"You like a girl with fire?"

"Character," Teddy corrected. "I'd like to meet a girl who…has her own mind and doesn't care what people think, and is marvelously kind," his deep voice gentled with wistfulness. "She'll always know how to have fun but she'll know when something is wrong."

"Sounds like you've got your dream-girl all figured out," Hermione smiled warmly. Teddy nodded, facing the mirror, in front of which he was shaving, his eyes downcast and sad, _lonely_. Teddy had always been the isolated intellect; nobody bothered to speak to him when he sat alone, reading, in the courtyard, because of the color of his tie. He never bothered to speak to anyone in Slytherin because, as he told Hermione, he thought they were all narrow-minded, arrogant snobs who were more use to occupy Azkaban's cells than positions in the Ministry. Hermione had been right; Teddy _was_ Louis from _Interview with the Vampire_: he was the romantic, passionate loner. As soon as Teddy had left the bathroom with his shirt and pre-tied tie, Hermione jumped out of the bath and wrapped herself in the enormous fluffy sheet-towel hanging on the heated rack, and padded into her bedroom in her slippers, shivering from the change of temperature.

She hadn't anticipated having to see the Malfoys so quickly after moving here. To be particularly honest, she'd not thought about anything really upon moving here except the fact that it was her choice, and now the Grangers were packing up everything to do a world-tour, so she couldn't change her mind and disappoint both sets of parents. But now the looming threat of having to eat dinner at the same table as Draco Malfoy was all too real as she glanced at the carriage-clock atop her dressing-room mantelpiece. It was easy for Teddy: he said the Malfoys came over at least once every fortnight, and the invitation was always returned for the next week for their family to visit Malfoy Manor, but Hermione didn't anticipate those invitations including _her_ any time soon, considering they all thought she was Muggleborn scum.

Draco Malfoy had always made her nervous, and for reasons she couldn't quite explain, she found herself later that afternoon standing in front of the full-length mirror in her dressing-room. The five outfits she had already tried and tossed were scattered across the soft gold carpet and on the antique chaise, and she frowned, hands on her cinched waist, as she examined the little dress her mum had bought her when they went on holiday for two weeks in America. It was strapless, mid-thigh in length with a slight sweetheart neckline, and had a taupe satin slip beneath a layer of black lace that was drawn to the left side, where the zip was concealed. She liked that she didn't have to wear a bra with it because the bodice was lightly boned and it made her legs look longer. _Curse Teddy!_ He, William and Phaedra were all tall, slender, and beautiful. Hermione was slender, and once or twice people had called her pretty—she didn't think it _really_ counted if it was her mum saying it!—but _tall_ she was not. She was average-height, average-weight, with average-sized breasts, even if they did look very nice pushed up slightly by the bodice.

"What do you think?" Hermione asked nervously, smoothing the front of the dress. She didn't dress up often, and when she did she always felt self-conscious.

"You look very pretty," Teddy smiled. He had changed his shirt and tie; deep blood-red silk shirt, and a silver silk tie with matching red polka dots spotting it. "Turn around." She spun slowly for him, and met his smile when she went full-circle.

"Now I just have to do something with my _hair_," Hermione growled, jutting her jaw and grabbing a lock of her thick, rambunctious chestnut hair. Teddy chuckled.

"Come here," he smiled, smacking her bum playfully to move her out of the way of his bathroom door, and he squatted down in front of the cupboards beneath the console. "Mummy stocked this whole place with a load of girly stuff from Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes—I swear that place is heaven on Earth—and I _think_—aha! Yes, here it is." He produced a jar of _Wonder Witch_ hair-smoothing serum. "You know…I think Mummy would really like it if you asked her to help you get ready. She doesn't get to do that sort of thing normally." Hermione took the jar and smiled nervously. Jean Granger could yank your teeth out without you even feeling it, but ask her to do a French plait and you'd be asking _too much_. One reason Hermione was so studious was because her parents were; there was little leniency in learning the finer points of makeup application or dressing to suit your figure. Mrs. Weasley had adopted Hermione like a second daughter because she only had Ginny, and she had graved daughters, so that's where a little bit of Hermione's limited femininity came from.

Phaedra was sitting in her dressing-room, which was a larger version of Hermione's in shimmering pearly pinks rather than gold, and absolutely_ stuffed_ with magnificent robes, casual-wear, and…_shoes_, Hermione breathed, every atom in her body charged when she saw her mother's shoe collection; it covered one vast wall with little cubby-holes for each pair. Slippers, flats, sandals, pumps, wedges, stilettos, boots, every color under the sun. Had Hermione been a more feminine girl she would have built up her shoe-collection. As it was, her parents had never seen any reason to build up her casual wardrobe if she had a school-uniform, so she'd never had much money to spend on things like cute underwear she'd seen in LaSenza or even a cheap throwaway pair of shoes from New Look. Phaedra was sitting at her dressing-table, drawing a horsehair hairbrush through her silky blonde hair.

"Hello Hermione," she smiled.

"Hi. Teddy showed me the way here," Hermione smiled nervously. "Um, I was wondering if you could do my hair." Phaedra's smile was more than enough of an incentive to do these little things Teddy suggested to make her mother happy. She even tolerated the half-hour it took Phaedra to settle decisively on one hairstyle; hair parted over her left eye, her thick fringe swept to the side, Hermione's hair was braided and coiled into a lovely bun at the base of her neck, fastened in place with a tiny slim diamond pin Phaedra said she could keep, because it was so striking against her dark hair. Hermione touched her hair nervously. She wasn't used to having her hair up. There was a draught around her ears.

"Thank you," she smiled.

"And what about shoes?" Phaedra asked thoughtfully, more to herself, and in a second she was whisking through her shoe-collection. Hermione was about to say she had shoes in her room, but they were boring black ballet flats she'd had two years and were getting really scruffy, and Phaedra was having much too much fun, she didn't have the heart to disappoint her. _This woman is craving female companionship_, Hermione thought, with a soft sigh. She smiled as Phaedra produced a pair of Mary-Jane's with thick stacked heels and a big decorative button on the thick strap across her foot. _Hey, I can walk in these_, Hermione thought, elated. She could not walk in stiletto-heels to save her life, and it annoyed her because she was so short compared to Harry and Ron. Usually she settled for wearing a pair of heeled black cowboy boots.

Teddy and Hermione were both downstairs, arguing over Charles Dickens, when the doorbell rang, and Teddy cringed slightly. He jokily hugged a cushion from the sofa in the lovely drawing-room and curled up on the seat, successfully making Hermione laugh from his off face and awkward position. It helped break some tension.

"You promise, remember, you promise you won't make a big deal of me being here," Hermione said to him, as Phaedra called them to greet their guests in the hallway. Phaedra heard them talking and smiled serenely as their guests crossed the threshold. _Wow_. Hermione's stomach did a weird flippity-flop thing that wasn't entirely unpleasant as she forgot almost to breathe: Draco Malfoy. He'd grown even taller, if that was possible, and his hair had gained a wholesome golden color rather than his father's silvery-blonde. He looked more like his mother, especially with his smooth cheeks, sculpted jaw, straight nose, and the lips that had so often taunted her pulled up at the corners in a tiny smile as he bent to hug Phaedra and kiss her cheek. It was his eyes, though, that had made the most remarkable change. No longer were they slits of ice, impenetrable. Hermione thought she was looking at Harry, if only because the inner turmoil seeped out through those two exquisite sapphire windows.

"I hope you don't mind, but we have another dinner-guest this evening," Phaedra smiled, and she doubted the Malfoys could have minded when her face glowed like that. "May I introduce Hermione Granger?" Hermione had been watching Draco as he took his jacket off for William; his eyes popped and he glanced quickly at Hermione. Teddy touched her wrist lightly and gave her a smirk, for a reason she didn't understand. Draco stripped his jacket off and handed it to William, and the older Malfoys both looked at Hermione. Narcissa Malfoy moved with so much elegance it was almost annoying to see how she slid out of the pure white mink coat, revealing stunning lilac dressrobes, and Lucius Malfoy eyed her up appraisingly as he took his cape off and handed it to William.

"Hello Hermione," Draco said softly, and Hermione couldn't help but smile nervously as the corners of his mouth lifted ever-so-slightly in a tiny smile.

"Miss _Granger_, yes? I have it to understand that you are on the forefront of elfish rights," Mr. Malfoy said neutrally. "I should be delighted to hear your views on the subject." Hermione flitted her eyes over Draco before glancing back at Mr. Malfoy. She smiled slightly and followed Mr. Malfoy into the drawing-room.

It wasn't as awkward or as painful as Hermione had anticipated. Actually, she rather enjoyed herself. The Malfoys could be…_jovial_, laughing as loud as William, when they were amongst people they considered equal to them. Hermione thought the Notts far superior, but that was only because she knew too much of the Malfoy heir to remain objective. She and Mr. Malfoy began a heated debate that lasted until dinner was served. She had Teddy on her side though, and Draco made a few poignant remarks in her favour, but for most of the evening he remained silent. Staring at her.

William had been cooking, as the house-elves did not work on the weekends, and the steak was excellent, juicy and tender as she liked it, with sautéed potatoes and fresh vegetables. The dining-room was exquisitely finished with duck-egg silk on the walls and matching upholstery on the Louis XV furniture, with a lot of gilt everywhere, and mirrors, and the crystal chandelier above only served as a reminder to Hermione of Malfoy Manor. Draco kept glancing at it, and at her, and though he didn't say anything, his eyes—eyes which had normally never betrayed anything but deep-seated anger—were animated, intense, conveying more urgency than any tone of voice could have resonated.

The evening ended after midnight, after they had all played cards or board-games in the drawing-room and the 'men-folk' had gone to William's study to smoke cigars and bemoan today's politics. Phaedra and Narcissa had been gossiping and giggling all evening and Hermione wasn't into that kind of thing, so she had played Monopoly with Draco and Teddy. Monopoly, she found out, was played every time the two families got together, and the game hadn't ended for three months. It was interesting to see the boys squabble good-naturedly over mortgages and hotels and tussle over the banker cheating them their 200 sickles, and it was interesting to see the Monopoly set William had altered to Wizarding streets and companies, and what he'd written on the Chance cards.

_All in all, that wasn't a bad night_, she thought, lying on her bed and frowning up at the ceiling thoughtfully. _It could have gone a _lot_ worse_, she thought. But the Malfoys had been remarkably…kind to her. They asked the same sorts of questions Phaedra had yesterday afternoon and generally seemed interested in being nice to her. Draco hadn't said much, and what he had said was spoken so softly she might have missed it if his voice didn't have that deep timbre like Teddy's. Whatever he did say was either in Hermione's favour or neutral, to stop the argument over Muggleborn rights between her and Mr. Malfoy. _It's not like him to back down from an argument_, she thought. _Maybe he's changed_.

**A.N.**: Tada! Another chapter. Sorry there's not much dialogue at the dinner-party. Kind of wanted to convey how there would have been a lack of communication between Hermione and the Malfoys except the arguments, and how weird it would have been for the Malfoys to have seen Hermione after they saw her tortured... Is that a good excuse? Anyway, please review!


	6. Chapter 6: The Rodeo

**Disclaimer**: I don't own HP.

**Author's Note**: _mellowenglishgal_, I love you!

It was strange: Hermione had been at 'home' for three days now, well, including her first afternoon at home, and yet she still couldn't send a letter to Harry. She'd written and sealed several versions, but none of them were…right. The structure of the letters was always the easiest; she was adopted. William and Phaedra Nott were her birth-parents, and Theodore Nott her brother with eleven months between them. She was now living with the Notts in Derbyshire. But bulking up the letter, telling him how it had all happened, what this meant, wasn't easy. She was normally so _good_ at writing; Ron always complained at the length of her letters because he said his responses seemed inadequate.

So, Tuesday morning found her sitting at her dressing-table and glaring at her reflection, hands clasped around her face, squishing it in different expressions. Teddy and William had gone out, supplying suspiciously few details as to their whereabouts, and Phaedra was calling on one of her friends. Hermione had chosen to stay at home. She'd spent an hour wandering around the house memorizing the floor-plan. She thought she had it all figured out now; she knew where the kitchen was, and she was making her way through the books in William's working-study. After dinner the boys liked to sit in the study and read, sip port—well, William did. Like Hermione, Teddy didn't like the taste of alcohol—and smoke a cigar each—Phaedra only ever allowed them to do this on Saturday evenings, as she disliked the smell of cigar smoke. Hermione had to agree with her on _that_ account. After dinner for the ladies, Hermione and Phaedra sat in the drawing-room, which was the loveliest room in the house, with rusty-pink walls and a sinuously-carven Maplewood balcony, bearskin rugs on the floor and full-length windows overlooking the lake. Hermione usually read; Phaedra's elegant fingers were always busy with something pretty; she made the loveliest blouses and skirts and dressrobes, in a style which Hermione's Muggle upbringing would call Early-Edwardian, and was exquisitely elegant.

Her bedroom was getting to look more like _hers_, with all of her books unpacked into the bookcases with photographs of her parents, Ron and Harry, Ginny, the DA, the Order, her vinyl spread out on the coffee table in front of the fire, her clothes scattered everywhere around her room and dressing-room. She had been given access to Teddy's stash of books and liked reading the notes he scribbled in the margins. His writing was tiny, like hers, but almost unintelligible, and their brains seemed to work the same ways.

One of Teddy's books and one of her unfinished letters to Harry lay open on her dressing-table amidst the silver toilette-set, and she glared down at the letter. _If you can't even tell Harry and Ron, how are you supposed to tell the rest of the world?_ She thought, with a heavy, constricted sigh. It was infuriating her; she wasn't normally the one who had trouble communicating. Harry was the worst. She had gone to her desk and dipped the stylus in the ink when the doorbell rang. She jumped up smiling, glad there was an excuse not to dwell on her letters again, and ran through the house.

Someone was already talking in the hallway when she ran to the top of the split-staircase and she almost laughed. Thimbletack had already beaten her to the door and invited the houseguest in. Draco Malfoy glanced up, hearing her footsteps, and she slowed as she walked down the stairs. _Why didn't you put some trousers on?_ She thought angrily, flashing her bare legs where her little Daisy Dukes stopped short at upper-thigh._ At least you're wearing a sensible top!_ She played with the hem of her t-shirt nervously as she reached the bottom step.

"Master Malfoy to see you, Miss," Thimbletack smiled.

"Thank you, Thimbletack," Hermione smiled, flushing as Draco's eyes roved unashamedly over her bare legs. _Thank god you shaved last night_, she thought, reconsidering her views on Muggle spas and the appealing benefits of waxing.

"I didn't know the rodeo was coming into town," Draco smiled. _Smiled_, not smirked. He was amused to see her dressed in Daisy Dukes, her favourite black cowboy-boots, and a bright fuchsia top that had a graphic of '_Lollipop_' scrawled over the front.

"I'm not used to having someone wait on me," Hermione mumbled, glancing towards where Thimbletack had disappeared. "I would have changed clothes if I'd remembered." There was an uncomfortable silence and Hermione looked around the hallway, finally landing her eyes on Draco. He looked really…_Yummy_, she moaned wistfully. He had shot up another few inches since May, practically looming over her a head and a half taller. He was wearing a forget-me-not-blue t-shirt that fit his lean, toned torso perfectly and made his eyes _pop_, a pair of dark distressed jeans and scuffed brown leather boots. He had to push his hair out of his eyes—he had grown it long, lazily falling to his neck and into his eyes—and Hermione realized she liked it like this. He looked _scrumptious_.

"So…what are you doing here?" she asked quietly, trying not to sound rude. He _had_ come over here, after all.

"Um…I just wanted to…I wanted to talk to…Is Theo here?" Draco asked, and he actually blushed when he made eye-contact with her.

"No, he's out with William," Hermione said.

"Oh." Draco glanced around the hallway, hands clasped behind his back.

"Is Phaedra at home?"

"No, she's gone to visit some friends," Hermione said. _Obviously you don't want to talk to me_, she thought, sliding her eyes over Draco. He looked flustered, more than anything.

"Um…So how long are you staying here?" Draco asked, after some deliberation, his cheeks flushed.

"All summer, I expect," Hermione smiled softly. Draco nodded. He fumbled with something in the leather-bound journal he carried under his arm, and produced a small worn book, a quarter of an inch thick, with a brown, gold-embellished cloth cover.

"Would you mind returning to Theo for me? He let me borrow it; I've only just finished reading it," Draco said softly, handing her the book with his left hand. She noted his bare forearm, where once the Dark Mark had charred his skin quite dead. She took the book; Shakespeare, a copy of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and nodded. She _loved_ Shakespeare.

"Did you like it?" she asked, waving the book. Draco smiled, showing glittering straight white teeth. Her mother would have loved his smile.

"I loved it."

"I would never have taken you for a fan of Shakespeare," Hermione said thoughtfully. Draco shrugged.

"Well… Can you just tell Theo I stopped by?" Draco said softly. Hermione smiled and nodded. He rubbed his palms against his jeans and waved slightly as he turned to the door. He had reached the threshold when he turned and twisted the hem of his t-shirt nervously. Now Hermione was feeling confident that he was further away and he was the one glancing around like a caged rabbit.

"I…I just wanted to say… Well…" he stammered nervously, and Hermione bit her lip. She'd never seen him nervous before: _This is fun_, she thought, her mouth twisting with a smile she tried very hard to conceal from him. He looked a little bit pained as he frowned down at his shoes and glanced up at her, his cheeks flushed. "I wanted to…to apologize… I'm sorry. I'm sorry for…for the way Bellatrix Lestrange treated you at Easter, and I'm sorry for the other things to. I'm sorry for everything I said to make you upset in the past." Hermione narrowed her eyes, arms folded over her chest. "I…I always knew what I was doing was wrong, treating you like that, but I always thought…I always thought that my father knew me better than I do and what he told me to do was always right. I now know that I was wrong."

"So you think that just saying you're sorry for seven years of bullying is going to make up for it!" Hermione snapped indignantly. "You think you can come here and just stand there and apologize, and that'll make everything okay. It's _not_ okay. If you think you can earn my friendship because I'm Teddy's sister, and the _only reason_ you're apologizing is because you've found out I'm a pureblood, then I don't _want_ it." Having him apologize to her now that he knew she was a pureblood was as bad as him never apologizing with the knowledge that she was a Muggleborn.

"You're Theo's sister?"

"What?" She had lost her train of thought, glaring at Draco's stunned expression.

"You said that you are Theo's sister."

"Oh. Didn't you… You didn't know," Hermione said weakly. _Idiot_, she thought, her cheeks flushing hotly. So she'd shouted at him for no reason.

"Know what?" Draco asked interestedly, cocking his head to one side.

"That I'm a pureblood," Hermione said. She played with her trembling fingers.

"You're a…" Hermione sighed heavily and sat down on the stairs, frowning down at the round table in the middle of the hallway, where Phaedra had set an overflowing vase of flowers. She glanced at Draco; he teetered on the threshold still. "So that was really an apology, not just because I'm Teddy's sister?" Draco nodded solemnly. He licked his lips embarrassedly and flushed again.

"I thought you were… I thought you and Theo were…_together_," he said, shivering slightly. He folded his arms, hugging his journal to his chest.

"Me and Teddy?" Hermione laughed, resting her head in her hands. A shiver ran up and down her spine at the thought. _Oh holy incestuous-ness… That's disgusting_. She laughed softly and glanced at Draco. He was still blushing embarrassedly. So he had apologized just because…because he knew he was wrong. Somewhere, deep down, his conscience had been woken. He knew that it had upset her when he called her names and made fun of her.

"Thank you, Draco. Thank you for apologizing," Hermione smiled softly. Draco moved so quietly she didn't notice he _had_ moved until he sat down beside her on the stairs.

"It doesn't really make it okay, though, does it?" he sighed softly, rubbing his thumbs against the flap closing his journal. Hermione glanced at him and they made eye-contact. "So you're _really_ Theo's sister?" Hermione nodded and grunted softly. She hadn't really _spoken_ about it since her parents had formed an intervention of sorts in her living-room. Everyone knew the details, so to tell Draco about it was…relieving. He sat quietly while she talked.

"I can't even find the words to explain this to my best-friends, and here I am telling you everything," Hermione sniffed, annoyed.

"Well, we're most open with perfect strangers," Draco said sagely. "People we know have built up their expectations of us."

"Like…Draco Malfoy couldn't possibly apologize out of the goodness of his heart," Hermione said, glancing at him. He smiled sadly at the stairs below them. Hermione glanced at the journal and reached for it interestedly. She noticed his knuckles went white as he clutched it.

"What's that for?"

"Mother gave it to me," Draco whispered softly, eyes downcast on the book. "She had me write things down; thoughts, you know. Just so I didn't just keep it all bottled up. She doesn't like that I won't talk to anyone about…about what happened." Hermione moved her hand, unconsciously, towards his where it lay on the step between them. He jumped up abruptly, looking extremely nervous. "I should go."

"O…kay then," Hermione said, watching Draco stride out of the house and duck into a sleek silver car that zipped away noiselessly. "Bye." Utterly baffled by the behavior of men, Hermione shook her head and walked back to her bedroom. Talking with Draco Malfoy had given her the one thing she needed; the conviction to tell her friends. After all, she couldn't very well have only _Draco Malfoy_ know who she really was and leave it for him to gloat over Harry and Ron that she had confided in _him_… _Hermione, that isn't nice_, she thought, frowning, sitting at her desk. _He probably wouldn't do that…_

Well, she wrote her letters, anyway. One to Harry, another to Ron, though that one was considerably shorter, much more subtle, much less likely to give Ron a reason to spontaneously combust. When Teddy and William had returned, Hermione had already sent the letters off via Nox, Phaedra's black owl.

"Hi, Hermione!" Teddy called, and Hermione smiled as her brother bounded into her room. "Do you know what we did this afternoon?"

"I would only be guessing," Hermione chuckled. Teddy produced an envelope from his back-pocket and wafted it under her nose. "_I_ have just bought three tickets to see _A Midsummer Night's Dream _next Thursday. Have you ever seen a wizard production of Shakespeare?" Hermione shook her head, snatching the envelope eagerly and thumbing through the tickets. The production was on the twenty-fourth of June; Midsummer. "You'll love it. It's _amazing_. Dad took me two years ago. We'll take a picnic and everything."

"Why did you get three tickets?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Draco. He's borrowed my copy of _A_ _Midsummer Night's Dream_; he wanted to read the play before we go and see it," Teddy explained excitedly. "If he ever gives it back I'll read it again."

"Oh, he stopped by," Hermione said, jumping up from her bed, where she'd been completing the second draft of her Transfiguration essay, and darting to her dressing-table. She'd started to read the play again—it wasn't her favourite: _Romeo and Juliet_ was—and found Teddy's tiny, indecipherable print along with handwriting she didn't recognize, but assumed to be Draco's, in the margins.

"Draco was here?" Teddy looked extremely surprised. "He knew I was going out today." Hermione frowned bemusedly. Draco hadn't seemed to know what was going on this morning when he'd stopped by. She couldn't imagine why he'd have stopped by with something specifically for Teddy if he knew Hermione's brother wouldn't be at home. Teddy narrowed his eyes scrutinizing: "Did he talk to you?"

"For a little bit. I told him," Hermione said, and Teddy smiled.

"How did he respond to _that_?" he asked, chuckling, and sat down cross-legged on her bed, hugging the book.

"Well, before I told him, he apologized for everything he's ever done or said to hurt my feelings," Hermione said, sighing, "and I thought he was only apologizing because he knew, because someone had told him I'm a pureblood." Teddy smirked and chuckled, and Hermione narrowed her eyes. She didn't like feeling like an idiot; there was no cause for Teddy to rub it in! "So after I'd let that slip, I told him, and he kind of…well, he was acting a little strangely, but I don't know him very well…he seemed really jumpy and he left right away." Teddy smirked, for a reason Hermione didn't know, and she _hated_ when people did that. It was more annoying than having someone smirk because you'd done something silly or they were just gloating. She hated when Draco Malfoy smirked. It always made her feel like she was an idiot.

**A.N.**: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed/Alerted my story! I love knowing someone actually _reads_ what I write. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside! Next chapter should be up soon!


	7. Chapter 7:The Sirius

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Theo…or Draco…or any of the male cast of HP *wistful sigh*

**Author's Note**: All credit to _mellowenglishgal, _thanks chica!

"Honestly, Phaedra, you don't have to buy me _all_ of these," Hermione protested nervously. Phaedra laughed softly as she handed the teenaged cashier a wad of £20 notes in exchange for five bags stuffed full of Muggle clothing. On an average day, when necessity called for her to replace a torn blouse or a t-shirt with ripped underarms or jeans with the crotch wearing thin, Hermione would never spend more than £20 on any given item; so far, she had thirteen new dresses, four new tops, a pair of knee-high boots, a pair of ankle boots, T-bar heels, and many little ballet flats and a pair of stringy gold sandals, and in another few shops Phaedra filled two bags full of jewellery that Hermione would probably never end up wearing anyway, and felt very guilty about letting her mother buy. They had traipsed all over London, or so her feet felt like, but luckily Hermione had her handy little beaded purse to carry everything inside. Phaedra was extremely impressed with the magic Hermione had used on it—with Moody's help, of course—and loved the little purse itself. Hermione had only bought it because it went with her dress for Bill and Fleur's wedding—the dress her mother, Jean, had bought for her!

As Teddy had wisely suggested, Hermione let Phaedra do as she wanted with her: her mother was always so happy when she was fawning over Hermione. It didn't matter where they were; she beamed on as Hermione chose seven new books from Flourish and Blotts without complaining once, even though it took Hermione close to an hour, and was richly rewarded (in Hermione's opinion) when Hermione agreed to go to a spa-day with her over the weekend.

"Hermione, this is your father's hard-earned money," Phaedra smiled, sampling a lovely perfume in _Lissuin_, the _only_ cosmetics boutique worth going to in Peony Crescent (so said Phaedra, and Hermione took her word on things like this), the place Hermione learned was the Bond Street, the Fifth Avenue, of the Wizarding couture boutiques. "It is _my_ pleasure to spend it! If you think I am extravagant now, just wait until Christmas comes around!"

Hermione smiled and followed her mother around the boutique, and was coerced—after ten minutes of Phaedra's comparing lipstick tones and shades of eyeshadow on Hermione's hand—to have a 'makeover' by one of the ladies who worked there. Hermione dodged the eyeliner for a few seconds, her eyes watered when she applied the curling mascara, and she had to fight a sneeze as the woman dusted a powder-brush over her face. Phaedra had tamed her hair this morning, setting it into luxuriously thick, glossy waves over her shoulders, and the result of the woman's work in the hand-mirror made Hermione certain she'd used some kind of charms on her. Her average brown eyes looked a lot darker, lined with a thin line of liquid black liner, her lashes curled into fine fans, and her cheeks were gently rouged. Her whole face seemed to glow. The woman hadn't done much, but the person in the mirror just wasn't the Hermione she was used to.

"You look like…" Phaedra cocked her head to one side, eyeing Hermione, "you look like William."

"Does William dress up in drag and wear makeup?" Hermione asked without being able to stop herself. She fought off a smile and bit her cheek, but Phaedra giggled and motioned her to hop off the stool. _Why?_ Hermione moaned; she hadn't sat down all day and it felt so _good_ not to be on her feet.

"I'll tell you an interesting story about that later," Phaedra giggled, and Hermione grinned, silently wishing they could go somewhere and _eat_; she wasn't good on low-sugar levels, as her boys both knew very well. She tended to get snappish, and the last thing she wanted, after spending such a lovely day with her mother, was to make Phaedra feel horrible.

Although the day _had_ been lovely, shopping just wasn't Hermione's _thing_, but it was good that she was trying it out. She never got to do much 'glamorizing,' as Ginny called it, with two male best-friends who had seen her covered in everything from Bubotuba puss to blood to the features of a cat and still had trouble distinguishing that she _was_ actually a _girl_. Hermione slumped off the stool and Phaedra listened to the woman's recommendations for Hermione's 'toilette', with a handful of eye shadows, three shades of lipstick, curling mascara, some glowing powder stuff, blush, some nail polishes Hermione liked. She shoved it all into her bag, and the mother-daughter duo exited the shop.

_It makes …Mummy… happy_, Hermione reminded herself forcefully, smiling as Phaedra practically danced along the street towards Diagon Alley. It wasn't too much to give; a day of shopping, that gave her mother so much happiness. But she wasn't above letting out a groan and melting into the chair outside recently reopened Florean Fortesque's ice-cream parlor.

"So, Teddy tells me you're going to see _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ tomorrow," Phaedra beamed. "I always loved that production. Of course, I was in the first ever production-team, so I am biased."

"You were in _A Midsummer Night's Dream_?" Hermione said excitedly.

"I was Titania. I can't tell you how many _lovely_ nicknames your father gave me," Phaedra giggled softly, rolling her eyes. "Actually, I met your father when I was an actress," Phaedra smiled wistfully, probably remembering the times years ago when she was a lot younger, but Hermione couldn't imagine it; her mother was still a stunning beauty. "He took up Shakespeare as a hobby, mostly to provoke his parents, who absolutely _hated_ Muggles and were mortified he married me, even though I'm a pureblood! He was Capulet in _Romeo and Juliet_, the play our company rotated with _A Midsummer Night's Dream_. He would wait outside my dressing-room door every night with a bouquet of flowers from the walled-garden." Her eyes glittered and she seemed to go off into her own little fairy-land, highly ironic, Hermione thought, considering she had played the Fairy Queen.

"Do you have photographs—of when you were in the play?"

"Hundreds," Phaedra beamed. "Of when I was pregnant with you, as well. The only time you would ever stop kicking was when we went to plays. It was like you wanted to hear everything that was going on, even if you couldn't see it!" Hermione flushed; she'd never heard stories like this, of when her mother was pregnant with her; she'd never heard of any weird pregnancy cravings or stories like that. Phaedra smiled and reached across the table, gently caressing Hermione's cheekbone with her thumb, her sweet mouth twisting slightly as she undoubtedly was thinking of how Hermione was stolen from her in her most vulnerable state.

While they waited for a waiter to take their order, Hermione glanced up and down Diagon Alley. It wasn't overly busy; there was a comfortable level of busy-noise, punctuated by laughter and giggles and exclamations of delight from _Quality Quidditch Supplies_ where teenaged boys were ogling the newest broom—"It's the _Vesper_; ten-times as fast as the _Firebolt_, with dozens of new charms on it!" one boy exclaimed, with a piteous moan that reminded Hermione so much of Harry when his Nimbus had been smashed by the Whomping Willow that her mind was drawn automatically to _Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes_, where she knew Harry was working part-time during the summer to help the twins and keep himself occupied for the summer. Undoubtedly Ron would be there too, as the twins had offered him a job.

"Um…would you mind if I went to _Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes_? There's somebody I'd like to say hello to," Hermione said, and Phaedra nodded, smiling contentedly, watching the world go by. Hermione meandered her way through the buffeting crowd and squished inside the small, packed shop. She rolled her eyes exasperatedly as she squeezed past the cluster of girls cooing over the pygmy-puff cage and sampling the _Wonder Witch_ products and had to stand on tiptoe to see over the heads of the crowd. _The twins must be earning a fortune!_ She thought, annoyed at the same time. She couldn't see any telltale red or scruffy black hair, only two girls in the staff uniform of brilliant magenta robes.

"Whoa! _Whoa_!" Hermione staggered to the side and flung her arms up, wand in-hand, as an enormous cardboard box overflowing with merchandise almost upset itself all over her. The box was removed to the floor and Harry laughed breathlessly.

"Hermione! Thanks!" he grinned, kicking the box towards an empty display table. "Didn't think I'd see you here!"

"What, in Diagon Alley?"

"In a joke-shop," Harry laughed good-naturedly. He squatted down to start emptying the box of its contents onto the table and glanced up at her. "I got your letter. Sorry I haven't replied. Fred and George haven't exactly got a whip yet, but I think it's on their To-Buy list."

"Manual-labor's good for you, old chap," Fred said, bouncing over rambunctiously to them, grinning. "Builds character, it does. How are you Hermione? We heard your news."

"Ron didn't speak for half an hour," George said, appearing beside his twin. He rolled his eyes, and Hermione's heart sank. "It was _blissful_."

"So, what can we interest you in? I must say, you're looking lovely today, Hermione," Fred remarked, narrowing his eyes scrutinizing. "Help yourself to whatever you want; it's on Harry." Harry spluttered indignantly and Fred winked at her.

"I just wanted to talk to Harry," she said, laughing softly.

"Fair enough. Everybody does," George said.

"We think it's good for him, a little bit of hard work," Fred said pompously. "He needs to be knocked a few rungs down the ladder, if you ask me!" Fred laughed and ducked, snatching a bottle of _10 Second Pimple Vanisher_ that Harry had thrown at his head. "Good thing you never tried out for Chaser, Harry! Here, Hermione, have a Sirius."

"A what?"

"A Sirius. Two-way communication device," George grinned, and Hermione almost dropped the little mirror George tossed at her. It was the size of her palm, very prettily etched around the sides. "Speak the name of the person you want to talk to—provided they have a Sirius too—and their face will appear in your mirror. Pain-free communication; no threat of being singed in the Floo network, no worry about lost letters, far more convenient than just popping in unannounced." Hermione laughed softly; Of course, the mirrors Sirius and James had used to communicate in secrecy when they were at school. These were replications of those mirrors, used for mass-communication, sort of like Muggle telephones. "_And_ you can charm the mirrors to respond to your voice and recognize endearments you use for other people. Like your brother, for example."

"How much are they?" Hermione asked. She was sure Phaedra would love to have one, to talk to her dear 'Teddy-bear,' and Hermione too, she supposed.

"For you, free," George smiled. She had always liked George more than his sometimes insincere twin, and smiled bashfully.

"And what if I wanted four?" she asked quietly. Fred narrowed his eyes.

"Two for one," he haggled. Hermione dug into her purse and produced several galleons; George chose another prettily-etched mirror (for girls) and two plain beveled rectangular mirrors (for boys), her mirror, and wrapped them in protective tissue-paper at the back counter, where she received her change. Harry announced he was having a short break and walked with her out of the shop, breathing a sigh of relief as he undid the top button of his _WWW _robes and welcoming the gentle breeze outside the sweltering, overcrowded shop.

"So…what do you think?" Hermione asked nervously. She had been waiting for the twins to disappear so she could talk to Harry, but they had always had a tendency to dominate any room at any given time. Now she could breathe, but she found it difficult, waiting for Harry's response. He shrugged.

"You're still Hermione. No…no newfound family-heritage is going to change that," Harry said. Hermione was astonished by his level-headedness. She had expected him to at least _glower_ at her for the sheer audacity of her consequence at birth.

"So…so you don't mind that my father was a Death Eater?"

Harry sighed heavily.

"You like them. I trust you with my own life, so I doubt you'd be reckless with your own. If you trust them, then I trust _that_," Harry said, smiling subtly. "Anyway, the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters." Hermione smiled softly to herself. She had needed this; not his approval, but the confirmation that she still had his friendship.

"Thanks Harry."

"You stuck by me when I was a complete bastard," Harry shrugged. "It wouldn't be right for me to abandon you know that you're a _pureblood_." Hermione giggled.

"It sounds strange, doesn't it? All those years, people calling me 'mudblood,' claiming I was one of the best witches of the year and I was Muggle-born, all the time it was because my parents are powerful wizards," Hermione sighed, shaking her head.

"Does it have to change anything?" Harry asked. "I would've thought you didn't care about that."

"I don't…it's just strange, that's all," Hermione shrugged. "I just want to get to know my family."

"If it happened to me, I'd be doing the same thing," Harry said wistfully. Hermione rumpled his hair and sighed softly, feeling miserable for him.

"I'd love you to meet my mother. She'd love you," Hermione said, thinking quickly. If Phaedra reminded Hermione of one thing, it was Mrs. Weasley. Phaedra Nott was the ridiculously wealthy, upper-class version of Mrs. Weasley. She'd offered Hermione a home after knowing her maybe five minutes, after all! Harry only had fifteen minutes, so they made their way quickly to Florean Fortesque's and Hermione introduced Harry to her mother, who instantly took a shine to him and accepted many invitations for dinner at their house; it was all for Hermione, she didn't doubt, but she warmed to Phaedra even more when Harry had gone back to work and they sat chatting about him, and her other friends.

Hermione's day out with her mother was one of the best days of her new life.


	8. Chapter 8: Peeking!

**Ok, now im just gonna post whatever **_**mellowenglishgal **_**posted until I get to the new chapters that I write! That should be in a week or two… let's just say, don't hold your breath. :D **

**All credit goes to **_**mellowenglishgal!**_

**Disclaimer**: Obviously I don't own anything except that which you don't recognize!

**Author's Note**: Um…Thank you _everyone_ for all your great reviews (you made me rethink my opinion on Chapter 7) and for alerting me! This fic as the most hits of all my stories! Yay!

"_TEDDY_!" Hermione bellowed, fogging up the little mirror she held in her hand. She growled, irritated, and rolled off her bed, stomping to the bathroom and flinging open her brother's bedroom door. Of course, he wasn't at home: He'd gone to see Draco earlier this afternoon. With books, which was never a good sign. They were probably still talking. "And of _course_," Hermione sighed exasperatedly, snatching up the little beveled mirror on his bedside cabinet, "he didn't take his Sirius with him!" _No bloody use giving it to him if he won't carry it around with him! _She stuffed the mirror into her little purse, snatched up her jacket in her room and went to the kitchen, where the fireplace in the ante-chamber outside was used only for Floo: she cast some dust into the grate, emerald-green flames reared up and she sighed heavily, not sure if she would end up regretting this decision; "Malfoy Manor."

_I know I haven't been invited over but otherwise we're going to miss the start of the play_, Hermione thought, glowering as she clamped her eyes shut—and mouth, covering her nose—hearing the roar of the fire all around her as she kept her limbs tucked in. _I hate Floo. I hate Floo. I hate Floo. I hate Floo. _And just as she thought she was going to throw-up the nauseating spinning slowed and she came to a stop inside the great fireplace of Malfoy Manor's drawing-room. Drawing her wand, she quickly dusted herself off of soot and glanced around: Mrs. Malfoy hadn't stirred from her needlework except to raise her eyebrows.

"I'm sorry to just drop in, but is Teddy here?" she panted. She didn't like this room. "He and Draco were supposed to meet me at home an hour ago."

"Draco's bedroom is upstairs and down at the end of the gallery," Mrs. Malfoy smiled graciously. Hermione nodded her thanks and practically ran across the room, trying not to visualize where she had been tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange.

_Wow. Nice house_, Hermione thought, amazed at the beauty of the decorations and everything as she walked along the gallery; all the subjects of the portraits were relatively pale after about the mid-nineteenth century. Before them, the Malfoys were as black as Bellatrix had been. They all had that same look about them, though; money. Hermione had come to realize that was the one thing that separated the whole of society; money corrupted, in some cases, and the power gained through excessive wealth.

She slowed down when she came to the last portrait; Draco, painted for his sixteenth birthday, or so the little silver plaque at the bottom of the intricate frame read. He'd been letting his hair grow out since Easter; in the portrait it fell gracefully to his neck and he wore deep emerald-green robes, and when he saw her he grinned rakishly, completely out of character, but Hermione's breath was all but taken away by how handsome—and different—he looked when he was…when he was happy. It was then that she heard the low laughter of her brother and the excited chatter of someone else. She narrowed her eyes and squared her shoulders and flung Draco's bedroom door open, startling the two boys who were sprawled in comfy armchairs by Draco's little fire, the occasional-table between them stacked with Butterbeer bottles and sweets from Honeyduke's and books.

"Hermione! You're—at my house?" Draco stammered. Hermione glanced around his room, taking everything in; emerald-green walls, and the Slytherin house logo emblazoned on the wall above his bed in glittering silver paint, _Just like Regulus' room_, she thought. The bedroom was very_ lived_-_in_; she could tell he spent a lot of time in here, and just because he didn't have friends—like Teddy, really—didn't mean he didn't have a life. The walls were plastered with posters of Muggle films and bands—_Kings of Leon, cool!_—obviously there to spite his parents, well, his father, pictures of broomsticks and a large map of the world on one wall, stuck with little glowing pins and a piece of green yarn connecting them together. _Wonder what that is_, she thought interestedly, glancing at the map more closely.

"Um, Hermione. What are you doing here?" Teddy asked her.

"We were supposed to leave _an hour_ ago," Hermione frowned, dropping her bag and jacket at the foot of the little table and taking up a book, smacking it over Teddy's head. He fought her away playfully and Draco glanced at the carriage-clock on his mantelpiece.

"Oh! Bugger it; I forgot to wind the clock!" Draco moaned, jumping across the room to examine the clock. Hermione glared at the two of them, hands on hips. _They're both as bad as each other_, she thought angrily.

"Do you even have the picnic ready?" Hermione asked indignantly.

"It's downstairs in the kitchen," Draco said, his tongue sticking between his teeth as he wound the clock with his wand.

"Sorry Hermes, we were having a really good debate," Teddy apologized: Hermione narrowed her eyes. She didn't like turning up late, not even fashionably-late, to anything and this was _Shakespeare_. She loved Shakespeare.

"Don't call me Hermes. Only father gets to call me Hermes, and only because he won't _not_," Hermione snapped. The boys exchanged a smirk, and she could have sworn they were moving in slow-motion just to piss her off as they collected their things. "Come _on_, come _on_! Hurry up!"

"Calm and collected, Granger. We said we'd be there on time, we'll _be there on time_," Draco said softly.

"And so will a thousand _other_ people," Hermione protested, grabbing her jacket and stalking out of the room. They were halfway down the staircase into the great foyer when she realized there was no weight in either of her hands. She checked her pockets and swore.

"Shit! I forgot my bag; I'll be back," she said, turning on her heel back up the stairs.

"We're going to miss the first scene," Teddy complained.

"Well whose fault is _that_?" Hermione snapped over her shoulder. She strode up the stairs, wishing she hadn't worn heels. _Yeah, but I wanted to impress_… Well, either way, her feet would end up killing her and she didn't even know if Draco had taken in her outfit; she had picked out the wine-red dress that was kind of clingy to the torso and sleeveless; it was low-necked with a decorative knot and it looked really good when she wasn't wearing a bra underneath, and it swung about her knees as she walked. She'd actually managed to do something pretty with her hair today, even though Phaedra offered to do it: she'd smoothed it and pulled it back into a casual bun at the base of her neck and stuck an artificial rose hairclip into it, and she'd put a bit of 'smack' on, as William called it; her lips were pretty light pick and she'd only used a little bit of mascara to balance that out. The necklace she wore was one of her favorites from the hoard Phaedra had bought her; it was gold, with twenty-four different tiny heart charms dangling from it.

She sighed as she reached Draco's bedroom and went straight to the little table where the boys had kept their hoards of food, kneeling down. She folded her jacket over her arm and clutched her purse, and somehow the handwriting on a piece of parchment sticking out under the chair Draco had occupied caught her eye; it was her name.

'_Hermione; she's actually a—_'

_Actually a what?_ Hermione thought, lowering her head to see what Draco had written next. She glanced over her shoulder, worried one of the boys had come to see what she was doing, and in a split-second of indecision she had stuffed Draco's fat journal into her little bag.

"Ready?" she asked breathlessly, glancing at Draco warily. _He knows, he knows; you should put it back, Hermione_, she scolded herself mentally, but she was curious. And curiosity was one of the strongest emotions. _Look how much trouble Harry's gotten into in the past because of it_, she thought. Harry _always_ got into trouble because he was so curious. Draco stopped by the drawing-room to say goodbye to his mother; she smiled and waved at them all and Hermione's eyebrows rose as she saw the sleek silver car outside in the courtyard. A house-elf wore a chauffeur's cap in the front-seat and waited patiently for them to file into the back of the car.

Ten minutes later, they filed out of the car onto the luxuriously springy lawn of one of wizard London's largest parks. Of course it was beautiful; the trees were all decked out with new leaves and the cherry-blossoms bloomed year-round, the grass was springy and lush and smelled wonderful but it wasn't damp, and it was easy to see where the congregation for _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ was being held; everyone, most of them carrying blankets and picnic-baskets, was being drawn to the outdoor stage, around which people were just beginning—Hermione was very thankful and kept walking faster and faster until the boys had to jog to keep up with her, so they could get a good position from which to see everything—to set up their blankets and folding chairs and late-afternoon picnics. It was interesting to see who had come to the play; she smirked and was reminded forcefully of Luna Lovegood and her father at Bill and Fleur's wedding, as many of the people who surrounded their blanket wore the same distracting robes and eccentric accessories.

She laughed out-loud when Luna Lovegood appeared out of nowhere and danced over; wearing probably what she viewed an accurate costume-piece for the production they were about to watch, in a gossamer-fine dress that floated around her, covered in glitter and sequins.

"Hermione," she said dreamily, offering her arms to hug Hermione. Hermione stood up from her little folding chair and hugged Luna fiercely. She had never been on particularly the same level as Luna, what with her belief in Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, or whatever they were, but Luna had always been one of the most loyal DA members. Neville, of course, held that supreme title. ((A.N.: In my imagination, Luna Lovegood is something like the character of Cassie from _Skins_: It's an English TV-show and it is _legend_! And Cassie's this anorexic pill-popper so she's always out of it! Kind of like Luna!)) And here he came, strolling over leisurely between the picnickers, flashing grins here and there whenever a pretty girl caught his eye: he had changed so much over the past year Hermione barely recognized him, in character. In looks he was the same old Neville, just with a few faint scars that would probably make the girls swoon.

"I didn't know you liked Shakespeare, Luna," Hermione smiled.

"Oh. Wow, no I _love_ it," Luna sighed wistfully. "Look at all these people! Are _these_ nice people?" Her bulbous eyes swiveled onto Teddy and Draco, who were both sprawled over the blanket and digging into the picnic-basket.

"We're getting along," Hermione said, glancing at Draco, who had curled up and faced away from the group: she detected a faint tinge to the part of his cheek she could see and glanced at Luna. _Oh yeah_, she thought heavily, remembering how she wasn't the only girl who had been held captive (however briefly in her case) in Malfoy Manor. Neville grinned at her as he neared their group and grabbed her in a bone-crunching hug.

"Hi Hermione," he beamed. "I heard about your news from Harry when I went to the shop last week. A pureblood-traitor! It's nice to have you in the fold!" Hermione laughed and glanced at Teddy.

"Um, Neville, this is my brother, Theodore Nott," Hermione smiled, and Neville grinned at Teddy as the latter offered his hand to shake, which Neville did. "And you know Draco, of course." Draco flicked his eyes over her as he turned and then glanced at Neville: he stood up and dusted his hands off on his jeans, offering his hand to Neville, his face completely solemn. Hermione glanced between them; they were exactly the same height, and completely opposite in coloring. Neville's scars were visible; Draco's were buried beneath. _And in his journal_, Hermione thought, with a guilty internal cringe.

"Keeping alive, Longbottom?" Draco asked. No doubt Draco was familiar with Neville's treatment last year and his subsequent hide-out with fellow students in mortal-peril from the Carrows.

"I like it," Neville shrugged, clasping Draco's hand firmly and shaking it. Hermione smiled; Neville was always the bigger-man, even when they were younger and getting involved in stupid little squabbles, but he had never been one to bear a grudge. _If only Ron was the same_, she thought, with a heavy sigh. She _still_ hadn't heard back from him despite having seen Harry, Fred _and_ George yesterday. "Gran would kill me if I died." Hermione laughed softly; Neville's face was completely serious, and Hermione knew from secondary experience, through Neville, that Mrs. Longbottom was _not_ a lady to be trifled with.

"Well, it looks like they're asking for our tickets," Neville said, glancing over Hermione's shoulder at a lithe woman in flowing periwinkle-blue robes taking tickets from people. "We'd better get back to Dean and Susan." Hermione smirked at Neville; _Susan_. He caught her eye and flushed and hurried back to his blanket with Luna, who pranced along.

"Susan _Bones_?" Teddy said quietly, glancing after Neville and grinning at Hermione.

"Why is it you Gryffindors always have a thing for red-heads?" Draco asked. He was lying on the blanket, his forearm draped over his eyes to shield them from the blistering late-afternoon sun, chewing on a juicy plum. "First it was Potter and that Weasley-girl, now Longbottom and Susan Bones; even _you're_ friends with Weasley."

"I don't think it was the hair-color that attracted Potter," Teddy smirked, and Hermione wrinkled her nose and smacked him on the arm playfully.

"Those are my friends you're talking about!" she cringed. "Don't make me think things no one should _ever_ think about their friends! I might have to hex you."

"Go ahead!" Draco laughed. "Longbottom Bones. What do you think about _that_?" Teddy and Draco both giggled, and Hermione shivered at the sexual connotations. _Disgusting. Disgusting_, she giggled, shaking her head.

"Who d'you think taught Ginny Weasley the Bat-Bogey Hex?" Hermione challenged, drawing her wand out and looming threateningly over Draco. She shouted in surprise and laughed loudly as Draco grabbed her around the waist and tugged her onto the floor. They were all limbs and hair and Hermione was self-conscious of her stomach as she laughed and wished she'd put a bra on, even though she didn't exactly _dislike_ being manhandled, even playfully, by Draco. Draco lay back, completely relaxed, smirking deliciously as he wound her wand between his slender, intelligent fingers.

"Give me back my wand, Draco," Hermione said, but she couldn't bring off a threatening growl when she was having fun, and couldn't help smiling down at Draco as he taunted her with her wand.

"Um…_nope_," Draco smirked, twisting and turning on the floor as she lunged for her wand. She grinned mischievously as she started tickling his sides where his plain heather-grey t-shirt rode up; he giggled, tried not to, and his cheeks flushed red with the effort of trying not to appear like he actually had human emotions.

"Wow! Look at this Teddy! I got Draco Malfoy to _smile_!" Hermione gasped in mock delight.

"I didn't even know he had teeth!" Teddy mused.

"Well, you'd better enjoy it," Draco groaned as he sat up, pulling his t-shirt down. Hermione pouted; _I was enjoying the view_, she complained mentally. "This is the only smile you'll see all year."

"Oh dear. We've used up his quota already," Hermione sighed heavily, falling back onto the blanket to rest her head on Teddy's stomach. He offered her a peach and Hermione bit into it, the sweet juice spurting over her chin. A napkin appeared out of nowhere and she smiled down at Draco as she took it from his outstretched hand.

"Tickets please… Thank you. The play should begin in five minutes," the witch said, taking their tickets, ripping them carelessly in half and handing back their stubs. Hermione kept hers in her purse, her hand brushing against the cool leather of Draco's journal as she deposited the half-ticket, and quickly closed her purse before either of the boys could see inside it.

"Would you like a program?" someone asked, and another witch in the company's periwinkle-blue robes smiled down at them, flashing glossy programs from a tray. "Two sickles apiece." Hermione reached into her purse but Teddy had already bought three, and Draco frowned thoughtfully as he flicked through his. Hermione wondered if she knew anyone in the production; she could honestly say she did not, and just as the sun was beginning to set, giving the few cotton-ball clouds a gilded tinge, Theseus strolled onstage, resplendent in velvet robes, with a lovely woman on his arm dressed in an exquisite Renaissance replica gown with pearls worked through her crown.

"Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour draws on apace…" Hermione settled into her little folding chair, and she didn't take her eyes off the stage until the intermission. She was, pardon the pun, spellbound, enchanted by the gorgeous costumes of the fairies, the exquisitely painted backdrops, and Puck had the whole audience giggling with Oberon. Despite their picnic basket, Draco dashed off as soon as the curtain fell across the stage and returned with three iced bottles of Butterbeer and three enormous gooey double-fudge cookies drizzled with melted white chocolate on top that made Hermione physically sick after she'd eaten half of it because it was so bitter-sweet.

"I can't believe how late it is," Teddy yawned, as they all crashed—literally and sugar-levelly—into the back of the Malfoys' sleek silver car. Hermione hummed contentedly, curled up into Teddy's side, and smiled softly at Draco. She was sleepy, and on a sugar-crash, but still energized from watching the _amazing_ performance.

"See you soon, Draco," she smiled tiredly, Teddy helping her clamber out of the car. She was desperate to get into the house and into her own room. In her own bedroom, she closed the curtains, closed her bedroom doors, wriggled into her comfiest pajamas and rifled through her purse.

"You are _never_ going to believe this," Hermione sighed to herself, still not believing she _actually _did something like this. She opened Draco's journal to the page he had marked with a sliver of ribbon and let her eyes flit over the page, absorbing Draco's handwriting;

'_June 22, 2008: You'll never believe what I just found out. You know Hermione? She's a pureblood. She just told me when I went over to the Notts' house. I only thought she was staying there because she and Theo were going out or something. Thank god _that_'s not the case! All they'd ever do together would be debating over Arithmancy or Ancient Runes or whatever._

_She still doesn't get it. We've been to school together for five years, for fuck's sake, and she still has no idea how much I like her. For a smart girl, she definitely can be stupid sometimes! I like that she's smart, and is so committed to her schoolwork. She knows what she wants and is going for it. I don't have that kind of motivation._

_Nobody at school used to like her because she was always so uppity. Hermione can't help being so smart; all of the girls at school are complete twits. All Pansy and Daphne care about is marrying some rich older snob who'll leave them lots of money. Thank god they think I'm too young and Father won't die quickly enough—they're so heartless—to leave me everything before I'd have to work for a living! Blaise says he thinks they've been spending too much time with his 'shameless gold-digging whore of a mother'—his words, not mine! Hermione's different, though; she doesn't care what people think of her._

_I wish I was like that. Father said we shouldn't pay attention to what other people believe about us, because he says we're superior to others because of our blood-heritage. I think it's a pile of Hippogriff shit! So what if I'm a pureblood. I'm a scion of the Houses of Malfoy and Black and I can barely scrape an E in Potions! Hermione Granger—or Nott? She doesn't know whether she'd like to change her name or not—thought she was a Muggleborn her entire life until last week, and she's the best witch in our entire school._

_Hermione looked really good today. She had that…'just got back from the beach' look about her, all glowey. And she was wearing those tiny little shorts all the Muggle girls wear around London. I shouldn't have gone over there today, I know. But Theo said he was going to London and Mummy had Phaedra over for tea. I just wanted to see her. Last night didn't count. Father was there, and he _hates_ Hermione because he thinks she's a blood-traitor now, not a Muggleborn, which I think in his opinion is probably worse! Hang on a second—I've stopped calling people Mudblood! Yeah!_

_Mummy doesn't care whether Hermione's a pureblood _or_ a Muggleborn. She agrees with me that Hermione's very pretty—but she says Hermione could dress up a little more, as she is 'getting to that age where the boys start noticing!' It's very weird to think Mummy was Hermione's age when Father started courting her. I can't imagine Father being all lovey-dovey like they are in that café in Hogsmeade. It makes me cringe. Father=Love? I don't think so!_

_Otherwise why would he have let everything happen to our family? If he truly loved us, he'd never have taken the Mark in the first place. Mummy said he took it when they left Hogwarts and were already engaged. How could he have done that to Mummy? He should have known there'd be repercussions. Like your only child being branded because _he_ was a twat and got his arse kicked by a group of teenagers in my class at school! ;D That's hilarious. They've beaten me in duels before, but at least I'm not more than twice their age! Remember when one of the Weasley twins and Harry Potter beat me up after the Quidditch game—which I deserved :( 'cause I badgered them into it—Blaise suggested I should take Muggle boxing-classes for Muggle self-defense if I got into another fistfight. I'd forgotten about that. He said you'd get to beat the shit out of a big bag and it'd work for me channeling my 'unexpressed anger'. Blaise only knows about that sort of stuff because his mother makes him go to psychotherapy sessions, because he's a nymphomaniac._

_Hey, look, there's a splash of Butterbeer for you. It's three a.m. and I can't sleep. You'd think I'd just plonk right off, seeing as how I just had a great wank over—'_

Hermione slammed the book shut, feeling extremely hot under the collar, and jumped off her bed, going to her dressing table. She fiddled with her makeup and the silver toilette set, trying to think about anything but that last lingering sentence. Her entire body was trembling with adrenaline; she felt that way she only ever felt when she was reading a novel and something embarrassing and cringe-worthy was going to happen to one of the characters and she just couldn't read on to witness it. But as with those novels, she always had to finish them, just for the sake of knowing what embarrassing thing had befallen them:

'…_seeing as how I just had a great wank over Hermione. Wish I could've taken a picture of her in the dress she was wearing tonight. It was kind of a nude color underneath the black lace and quite short, and it showed off her legs and her boobs. Man, her boobs are gorgeous. Blaise once said she was a 'waste of boobs,' because every Potions lesson she'd—well, we'd all—get kind of sweaty and hot and she'd take her cardigan off, and I know she really likes one bra she has that's black with gold floral lace and little gold bows between her boobs and on the straps. I reckon if she knew we could see through her blouse then she wouldn't wear that bra, which is a shame, because Potions is the only time I really get to see her. Of course, Weasley and Potter don't notice._

_Blaise says they've probably known each other too long to notice stuff like that. Pansy's horrible and says really snide things about them, like they have threesomes in the Gryffindor dorms. (Cringe: I doubt Weasley has ever even managed to kiss a girl; he's such a Muppet!)_

_Blaise and I were talking about threesomes the other day, and if we each could choose one girl and pick the third together and have them on a rotation, we'd have Hermione, Padma Patil from Ravenclaw—she's definitely the prettier twin, we both agree—and that pretty blonde from Ravenclaw—the one they call Loony. Blaise likes her, even if she and her father are a bit eccentric. She was the one the others took hostage here at home to make her father behave—he owns the Quibbler. He was the only one actively opposing the Death Eaters. Us. Them, I don't know!_

_I don't want to think about that now. I'm supposed to be getting past that. That's why I have to write in you. Well, I like writing. Mummy bought me replacements for my watercolour paint-set. I think I'll try and paint the dress Hermione was wearing the other night. Then maybe my eyes will be so tired I'll fall asleep. Adieu, Draco._'

And he had; he'd painted a lovely replication of her little lacy taupe dress, and flicking through the previous pages, she saw many more different paintings, all exquisitely detailed and tenderly painted.

_Wow_, she thought, breathing out a sigh and resting against the pillows she'd punched into the corner of her bed and the headboard. As much as his thoughts confirmed he was just another pervy, horny little teenage boy, at least he was honest. She'd never had a conversation as frank and open with either Harry _or_ Ron in the entire time she'd known them. Well, Harry, but most of the time before Dumbledore had been killed Harry kept everything under his hat. Then she reminded herself that she had _stolen_ Draco's journal and had invaded his privacy by reading these very personal—and blush-worthy—thoughts. _But I can't help it_, Hermione moaned, shaking her head at herself. She frowned and turned to the very first page, settling back, fighting her conscience, which sounded suspiciously like _Harry_! _Why the hell is _Harry_ my conscience? Can't I have Jiminy Cricket?_

_**The Diary of Draco Abraxas Malfoy**_

_^Fuck that, there's no way I'm writing a _diary.

_Diaries are for pussies. _Pansy Parkinson_ writes a diary._

Name_: Mummy, you wrote it ^right there^!_

Age_: I'm fourteen. And my _mother_ got me this book and is making me write in it every day. I don't even know why I'm writing at all; it isn't as if she's going to check. Fucking waste of time, if you ask me: Mum just thinks I should have a way to express myself that isn't making Dr Psyche cry like last session. Serves her right; she charges too much, and all she got out of me the session before last was I'm angry with father (and 1700 galleons from Mummy, too! Let's not forget dear Doc's hourly rate of 140 galleons. That's extortionate, but Mummy says she doesn't care how much she has to pay if only I'll talk to someone about this)._

_I'M VERY ANGRY WITH MY FATHER._

_I'M VERY ANGRY WITH MY FATHER._

_I'M VERY ANGRY WITH MY FATHER._

_I'M VERY ANGRY WITH MY FATHER._

_Also I have a problem with unexpressed emotions. Alert the media, why don't you? I bet even thick-head Ron Weasley could tell you that! Then again, maybe not, as he's always pissing me off and making me curse him. The doc and I really went deep!_

_I'm getting good at saying it, though, aren't I, for someone who was incapable of human speech until my thirteenth session with Dr Psyche? That woman is so up herself, I wouldn't be surprised if she was related to Gilderoy Lockhart. I'm going to say it again for you;_

_I'M VERY ANGRY WITH MY FATHER. Do you want to know why? Here, I'll draw a picture—_(Draco had painted a sickening image of the Dark Mark freshly branded on bloodied, scorched skin) _Nice, isn't it? All the Big Kids have one. Daddy always said if I was a very good boy I could have one too!_

_Twat._

_I hate him—I am _VERY ANGRY _with my father._

_Now he's gone and gotten himself chucked into Azkaban and Mummy's having a nervous-breakdown because she misses him so much and is so worried about me being initiated into the Death Eaters. Last week she went to see Professor Snape, which she rarely does, even though he's my godfather. I'd much rather have Sirius Black as my godfather, like Harry Potter does. At least Black has a bit of color to his background. He ran away from home—he's my mother's cousin—and Mummy said he had these best-friends who he always got into trouble with and they had really cool nicknames. She can remember him from when she was at school with Father, but he ran away when he was sixteen and Great-Aunt Walburga curse him off some family-tree, like they burned off Mummy's older sister, Andromeda, I think her name is._

_Wish I was a Marauder—that's what they used to call themselves, Mummy says, and Black's nickname was 'Padfoot'. Father says it probably has something to do with Black's Animagi-form. He can turn into an enormous dog. That's what Pettigrew says anyway. I hate Pettigrew. He really is a rat. Mummy won't let him into the house: as if he'd ever have the nerve to come here by himself anyway!_

_Wish I had friends like Sirius did. He'd have died for them. All I've got are Crabbe and Goyle. And you can't really call _them_ friends. There's always Blaise, I suppose, and Theo. Theo's nicer; he's really smart and lets me borrow his Muggle books; I'm very into the poet Blake and Shakespeare plays at the moment. _Hamlet. _Sounds a bit like my life._

'_To be or not to be'. He should have just decided, though, and stopped whining. I suppose I understand the dilemma, after Theo explained about the context, you know; Christianity viewed suicide as a mortal sin or something and you couldn't go to heaven or even have a Christian ceremony. I don't know. But if Hamlet wanted to die, he should have just killed himself._

_There has to be something better on the other side. I don't know if I could stand it if this was the best my life was ever going to be. Then it wouldn't be death, I suppose, but there has to be _something_ to make all this suffering worthwhile. Anything's better than this…_

Hermione was absolutely enthralled by Draco Malfoy's train of thought. It forced her to look at him with an entirely new perspective and she found herself…_liking_ Draco Malfoy, even the one she hadn't known until last week, the one who had still called her a Mudblood at every opportunity and cursed Harry and badgered Ron and his brothers into fistfights. She read on continuously throughout the entire book, and considering Draco had written an entry (usually four or five pages long plus beautiful illustrations) for every day over the last two years, it was daybreak by the time she finally closed the book, having already read the last entry, and, completely emotionally wrecked after crying her eyes out for two hours over his journal-entries from his struggles with the Vanishing Cabinet and fears his mother would be killed, and the worst-Dumbledore's death-she fell straight to sleep, mind buzzing with thoughts of Draco Malfoy.

**A.N.**: WOW! Did _I _have fun writing that! *Does a little dance in her chair* It's amazing how into a character you get when you're writing, and I apologies if he's a bit too AU-ish and not strict Draco Malfoy I HATE MUDBLOODS-canon. I wanted him angry in the first journal entry. Oh, and I should probably credit Richard Gere or the writers of _Pretty Woman_ for the 'I am very angry with my father' line. I _love_ Pretty Woman!

_Fallingstar93_ I hope you enjoyed the peek inside Draco's journal :D

By the time I upload this it'll be 00:04 in England. And I'd promised you an update by..Technically yesterday. *Hangs head in shame*


	9. Chapter 9: Kissss!

**Disclaimer**: You've found this website; obviously you know it's not the real thing!

**Author's Note**: Lovely, lovely, lovely, lovely, reviews! Yay! I absolutely loved writing that last chapter! _OMFG UPDATE I LOVE THIS! _And _Lita_—thanks for the reviews; I couldn't send you a message back :{

Hermione couldn't wait to leave the house when she finally woke up, which was appallingly quickly after she'd fallen asleep: she'd had about three hours' sleep by the time she heard Teddy churning out concertos on the upright piano in his bedroom there was no way she could get back to sleep. So she showered and spent half an hour deciding on an outfit, finally settling on a sweet multi-patterned short silk dress, her favourite dark blue jeans, her brown cowboy boots, and flicked her wand so that her hair plaited itself into one eye catching fishtail braid that she swished over her left shoulder, tying the end with a midnight-blue ribbon. She sat in front of her mirror doing her makeup and dabbed the excess wine-red lipstick from her lips so only the pigment stain remained and did her eyes like the woman had done them at _Lissuin_; luxurious curling lashes. She smiled at her reflection; she looked a bit like an Old Hollywood glamour-girl, like Ava Gardner or Gene Tierney or someone, from those films her adoptive-mother used to watch when she was younger. Checking herself over in the mirror again, she went downstairs with her purse (in which she'd stashed Draco's journal) and tossed some powder into the grate: "Malfoy Manor."

Mrs. Malfoy wasn't sitting in the drawing-room when Hermione stepped out of the grate. She dusted herself off with her wand and glanced around the room. The entire house was silent, but the marble of the floor in the drawing-room made everything echo eerily as she pigeon-stepped across the room. Knowing it was wrong to sneak around, but glad she didn't meet Mr. Malfoy, she hoped silently that Draco wasn't home and that she could slip his journal back in its place without him noticing.

_Of course_ he was at home; it would have been much too convenient for her not to have to see him. She could hear his music—_Use Somebody_ by Kings of Leon—through his closed door as she reached the end of the gallery, and portrait-Draco smirked knowingly down at her. She knocked on the bedroom door and waited.

"Not now, Mum, I'm studying naked," Draco sighed, cutting his music for a few seconds.

"_What_!" _Oooh!_ Hermione smirked, wondering if he was just joking, hand on the door-knob, or whether she would catch him butt-naked!

"Hermione?" his voice said through the door. She grabbed hold of the door-knob as the door opened a fraction of an inch.

"No, no, no!" Hermione laughed nervously. The door jerked open despite her efforts and Draco smirked deliciously as he rested against the doorframe, wearing one of his yummy plain heathered-grey t-shirts and his dark jeans, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You're dressed!"

"And you're at my house. I wonder who's more disappointed," Draco smirked, eyeing her up and down. _This boy jacks-off over you_, Hermione thought, frowning at Draco as he smiled and a shiver went up and down her spine. "What're you doing here?"

"Um…I came back to return something that I..._stole_," Hermione said quietly, feeling the heat creep up her neck and cheeks. _You should have just left it in the drawing-room. He'd never have known! You IDIOT!_ Draco frowned bemusedly at her for a few seconds, then something sparked in his eyes and his mouth opened a little bit, eyes widening, and he turned back to his bedroom, going straight for his armchair by the fire. _Oooh! Nice butt_, Hermione thought, distracted momentarily as Draco squatted down by the table, his jeans pulled taut, but as soon as he had flipped up the valance of the upholstery she cringed guiltily.

_What's he going to do?_ She thought worriedly. Had it been Ron, no, Harry, he would have most likely bellowed to high-hell and gotten over it by dinnertime after brooding for a few hours. But she didn't know how to gauge Draco's reactions like she could Harry's, although she felt she knew_ him_ better than she knew Harry, which was a strange thought. She'd only read his journal; _Yes, that's the problem!_

"_You_ took it!" he said accusatorily, standing up straight and staring at her with wide, reproachful eyes. Hermione stepped tentatively over the threshold of his room, wondering if there were any special features of the room that would keep her still while he cursed her to oblivion.

"I…I saw my name written when I came back to get my purse last night and I was curious and then I couldn't stop reading it," Hermione said in one breath, dropping her head shamefully, wishing she hadn't worn her hair up so it could have formed a curtain across her face. She brought Draco's journal out from her purse and offered it to him, not looking at him. Of course, the guilt of '_thieving_,' as her Harry-Conscience called it, and of reading the journal had been pushed virtually out of the window, so to speak, when she'd actually _read_ what Draco had written. Draco took the journal gently and opened it to the last page he had updated, scanned what he'd written to refresh his memory and flushed bright red. _Wow._ She'd never seen him blush before.

"You…you read this last page?"

"Er…" Hermione bounced on the balls of her feet nervously, avoiding eye-contact. _Do I tell him I've read everything? Lull him into a false sense of security. The boys love it. _But Draco's eyes had darkened to that soft heathered-grey; she'd come to realize last night that the only way he expressed his emotions was through his eyes, and when they softened like that he was speculative or mellow. That was good, for her.

"You…you read _all_ of it." Hermione cringed at his tone; betrayed. Harry got like that a lot, when he thought he was completely alone and everything was working against him, and _she_ was the only one on whom he could take out his frustrations. _Maybe you should get Harry a journal… He doesn't even use that homework-diary you got him!_

"It was just so…_good_," Hermione said lamely, wincing guiltily. She couldn't think of any other way to describe it; he'd made her laugh sometimes; other times she felt like she wanted to slit her wrists or drink a bottle of hard Vodka—and _sometimes_ he'd made her so hot and horny she'd started wishing he was... Well, she vividly recalled a quote of his incorporating 'Hermione' and 'Honeyduke's hot-fudge sauce' in one sentence. "I know I had absolutely _no right_ to steal your journal, much less read it, and I'll understand if you want to curse me into oblivion; it'd be less than I deserve, so if you want to curse me, I'll understand, and I won't hex you back." She straightened up, held her head high and welcoming any curse he might throw her way. He stared.

"You _want _me to curse you?" he laughed incredulously, taken-aback. Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"You're not _going to_?" she stared.

"I know you'd probably expect me to," Draco said solicitously. "But I don't think I'll give you that satisfaction."

"You're not going to curse me!" Hermione gaped incredulously. _Why the hell not?_ "I stole your journal and _read it_! Aren't you at least a little bit pissed off?"

"Not really."

"Are you high?" Hermione asked, frowning. She surprised a laugh out of Draco; he smiled softly and flicked his eyes over her face.

"No, I'm not," he said softly.

"So why aren't you cursing me?" He laughed again at her insistent tone, and the hands on her hips. This was really annoying her. She wasn't used to Draco Malfoy being so blasé. She wanted _her_ Draco Malfoy back: the one who would call her 'Mudblood', curse her, and insult her friends! _Do_ something_ for god's sake!_

"Well…" Hermione dropped into a chair in front of the fire, utterly defeated. "I don't know what to say!"

"A first, I think," Draco said tartly, smirking deliciously at her as he leaned on the back of his armchair. Hermione glared at him, but could find no appropriate response. _Why isn't my brain working properly?_ She thought desperately.

"So, what did you think of it?" Draco asked softly, and Hermione glanced up. _Huh_? "What I've written. You're a literary critique. What did you think?" Hermione flushed. Did he really want to know what she thought to his ideas on fluffy red handcuffs and fudge sauce? No. She'd pretend she hadn't read that.

"I thought… I _think_ that if…" Hermione stood up and took the journal from him, kneeling on his chair facing him. She opened the journal to one of her favourite pages; the entry just after Katie Bell had been cursed by the opal necklace. The beginning of his breakdown. "I think that if you let people see the person in _here_…" He took the journal and read, and as he did so he tautened his jaw and blinked furiously as his eyes glistened, following the writing that was just barely decipherable through the tearstains that had bleached parts of his writing.

"And…" Once he had finished reading that part, she flicked ahead to the painting of the shattered chandelier on the marble floor in the drawing-room. Where he'd talked all about her and having to watch her be tortured and being unable to do anything to prevent it; the tears had fallen freely here, too, the handwriting rough and scratchy; he might have been writing in the dark, his hand shaking, unable to talk to anyone else, probably afraid for his life when Voldemort arrived after Bellatrix's summons.

"If you were so open with other people, like you are with this journal, if you let people see who_ you _are instead of who people expect you to be, I think we could have been friends a long time ago," Hermione said softly, smiling sadly. _Friends_, she thought with a heavy sigh, sliding her eyes wistfully over Draco's handsome features as he looked down determinedly at his journal, his eyes hard and glassy. His mouth gave him away; his lower lip trembled ever so slightly.

"Friends," he whispered hoarsely, as if unable to hold it in. He blinked and wiped his cheek. Hermione gazed up at him: she had never been this close to him before, in private, with absolutely no-one to interrupt them. He sniffed subtly and came to sit on the arm of the chair beside her. A great wash of his scent—warm, musky, _boy_-smell—swept over her and Hermione couldn't help breathing deeply. He sat despondently; shoulders slumped, watching his hands, looking completely miserable.

"I've never been good with people," Draco whispered hoarsely, eyes watering as he played with the twisted hemp bracelet on his right wrist. "I never know what to say, and then I...then I just end up insulting people so I don't have to talk at all."

"You're talking to me, aren't you," Hermione smiled playfully, nudging his arm. He glanced at her and after a second nodded, licked his lips and turned to the fireplace, where a small fire was dispelling the cold touch that seemed intrinsic with the house.

"You're different though… You don't care what other people think," Draco said quietly. Hermione chuckled softly, curling up in the armchair and watching Draco.

"Is that what you think?" she asked, smiling.

"If you do, you never show it," Draco said, glancing at her thoughtfully. "Nobody ever purposefully tries to hurt your feelings…except me. And that Brown girl." Hermione rolled her eyes. _So even Draco Malfoy noticed I liked Ron_, she thought, sighing. Love him as she did, Ron Weasley just pressed on her last nerve sometimes. After he'd ditched them last year she'd realized she couldn't be _in_-love with anyone that volatile. She did love him, though; he had always been one of her best friends, and she hoped that never had to change.

"Well, you know, it's all those times you called me 'Mudblood'. You sort of desensitized me to everything else," Hermione joked, and then bit her lip, realizing she'd said the wrong thing as Draco's mask crumpled and he curled up as the tears splashed down his cheeks. Utterly appalled at herself, Hermione knelt up quickly and put her arms around Draco's neck, drawing him close to her in a hug. He froze for a few seconds, and Hermione smiled and inhaled quickly as he hugged her tight to his body, nestling his head in the crook of her neck. She was conscious of the fact her breasts were pressed flush against Draco's chest and his lips brushed against her bare skin, but she breathed in deeply, smiling as she smelled _Draco_._ He smells so good_…

"I'm sorry," she whispered into his neck. "I didn't mean that." Draco's chest rose and fell falteringly and he clung to her as if she was his last lifeline. _She_ felt like she could stay like this for the rest of eternity, held in Draco's strong, lean arms. But she leaned away from him: His eyelashes had clumped together because of the tears, and his eyes were an exquisite pale sapphire this close, and Hermione licked her lips nervously, stroking the tear streaks away from his cheeks with her thumbs, cupping his face tenderly. It was now or never, and she never wasted opportunities. Draco bit his lip nervously, watching her with wide eyes, and he sighed softly when she gently kissed his bottom lip. Breaking away, Hermione closed her eyes and pressed her lips together, savoring the warmth transferred from Draco's lips.

Draco's thumb rubbed softly against the bare skin her top exposed at her midriff and she smiled shyly as their heads came closer together. Draco kissed her tentatively—_is this his first kiss? He never wrote anything_…she sighed and traced her tongue against his lower-lip, and she almost gasped as he slipped his tongue into her mouth, massaging hers. She moaned softly and cupped his cheek, using his shoulder for support as her knees did an odd quaky thing. She laughed breathlessly as Draco slipped from the arm into the chair and tugged her down on top of him, laughing softly. Hermione moaned breathlessly as he instigated their next kiss, a hand at the back of her neck, the other playing with the hem of her top at her side, tentatively stroking the hot skin above the waist of her jeans with his thumb. Hermione straddled him and pressed her chest against his as she leaned over him and kissed him hotly. A gentle tinge colored Draco's cheeks and Hermione smiled as she bent her head and kissed him again, working her hands underneath his t-shirt, running them over his hot skin.

Viktor had been a good kisser; her first. Cormac McClaggen had been in league with the giant squid. She'd never kissed Ron, or anyone else. But Draco was the best.

"You don't happen to have any hot-fudge sauce, do you?" she asked, and Draco broke away from her neck to blurt out a laugh of surprise. His cheeks flushed and he buried his face in her shoulder again as she giggled. She smiled down at him as he rested his head against the arm-rest, gazing up at her with a soft smile playing with the corners of his lips, and closed her eyes as she grazed her lips against his teasingly.

"Draco, my dear, I'm ho—oh! Oh my goodness!"


	10. Chapter 10: Caught!

**Disclaimer**: Duh.

**Author's Note**: I love you! That is all.

William flounced into the kitchen early the next morning, his face almost splitting in two with the most knowing and infuriating smirk Hermione had ever seen; she and Teddy exchanged a look and they both cringed and focused on their _Golden Nuggets_ cereal.

"We're all very proud," William said, and she and Teddy both shuddered and cringed with embarrassment. She wanted to curl up and die.

First Narcissa Malfoy had walked in on her and Draco yesterday afternoon, and then of course Phaedra had her lady-friends over for afternoon-tea yesterday when she got back home, and of course, Mrs Malfoy was always the first on her guest-list, and Hermione had been walking past the drawing-room, minding her own business, setting the following events into motion:

"Phaedra, my darling, you will never believe what I walked in on earlier this afternoon," a vaguely familiar voice said delightedly, and Hermione stopped, cringed, and ducked away from the open double-doors just as the ladies inside the drawing-room hushed with baited breath for Narcissa Malfoy's news.

"I would only be guessing," Phaedra said dryly.

"_Your_ daughter and _my_ son were in Draco's bedroom," Mrs Malfoy giggled.

"Having sex?"

"No, just kissing. I think if I hadn't interrupted them, though, they may have…" She left the sentence hanging, leaving her mother's friends to gossip about Hermione's virtue and "what a rogue" that "handsome boy" was.

"I WOULD NOT!" Hermione yelped indignantly, and clapped a hand over her mouth, realizing she'd been found out. _Shit_, she thought, and darted up the staircase, really hoping none of the women were wearing sensible shoes to reach the drawing-room doors before she reached the safety of the gallery.

It would have been alright, bearable, even, that her mother knew she'd been caught making out with Draco Malfoy in his bedroom when he was home-alone, had not Phaedra accepted the dinner-invitation to the Malfoys, which been issued after the Malfoys had come to the Notts for dinner.

"What are you going to wear tonight?" Phaedra asked, gliding into Hermione's dressing-room just as Hermione was going through the racks of new clothing Phaedra had bought her, looking for something to wear. "What do you think Draco would like to see you in?" _Cellophane_, Hermione thought, smirking at the thought. Or hot-fudge sauce.

In the end, Hermione wore little black dress that hung loosely down her figure, but enough to define it. It had a halter neckline that she loved, and she easily paired it with a pair of comfortable broken-in green heals. She might need to make a quick getaway should Lucius Malfoy start cursing her. _At least Bellatrix isn't there anymore_, Hermione thought. That was a plus.

Another plus was the fact that Teddy already had plans with Blaise Zabini that evening, but on the other hand that meant the two of them—she and Draco—alone, together, was cause of great suspicion in their respective mothers, but their fathers were clueless and their wives did nothing to enlighten them. Hermione and Draco both had to endure their mothers' indulgent, knowing smirks in the drawing-room, which for Hermione was more torturous than her parents knew, because they didn't know what had happened to her in this room at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange.

"So why didn't you go to that party at Blaise Zabini's house?" Hermione asked quietly. Even though the room was very big, and they were sitting far away from their parents, sound seemed to carry further in here than in normal rooms.

"Mm…didn't think they'd want me there," Draco said, shrugging uncomfortably. "I'm not very popular with the old crowd these days."

"Why? Because you grew a conscience?" Hermione teased. "How'd you know they wouldn't like you there if you never went?" Draco rolled his eyes. _Yeah, we're going to do this again_, Hermione smirked. "The anticipation of death is much worse than death itself."

"So you and I both agree that the Slytherins are going to kill me," Draco frowned thoughtfully. "That's good to know, I suppose." Hermione laughed softly. "I'm surprised Theo went to that party. He never usually associates with anyone in our year."

"Keep your own company and you'll always have a favorable reply," Hermione smirked, and Draco laughed. She didn't like the attention she was getting from their mothers, and apparently it was making Draco nervous too.

"Do you want to go and hide in the library?" Draco asked quietly, his head lolling against the back of their sofa as Hermione tried to tune out both the indignant exclamations of her father arguing politics with Mr. Malfoy and Mrs. Malfoy's floaty, eloquent little giggles as their mothers shot them knowing looks.

"Absolutely," Hermione said hurriedly, and making the excuse of going to show Hermione the library, Draco led her out of the drawing-room and they both let out great sighs of relief in the quiet of the marble hallway. Draco indicated a side-passage and Hermione followed him down it, examining a few of the portraits along the way, whilst Draco commented on the house and the antiques that interested her.

"Here, wait—" Draco said, and he put his hand over her eyes. Hermione grabbed his hand, jumping.

"What're you—?"

"Shh. It's a surprise," Draco said, and Hermione could tell by the playful lilt in his voice that he was smiling. She heard a door click and Draco's other hand fluttered to her waist, his body pressed close against her back, and he guided her through the door she couldn't see. When he released her eyesight, Hermione stared, open-mouthed. The library was three-stories with a winding cast-iron spiral staircases and galleries on each level, a candlelit seating-area in the middle of the floor and a glorious marble fireplace that washed warmth into the room and kept the bite of chill away from the books.

But his literary collection wasn't what Draco wanted to talk about, and actually Hermione had known he didn't want to talk the minute she'd shown up with a glorious eyeful of cleavage on display and he couldn't stop shooting intense, covetous glances at her all through dinner. 'Mad-dogging,' Dean Thomas called it.

"Now, where were we when we were so rudely interrupted?" Draco asked, gently tugging on her earlobe with his teeth, wrapping his arms loosely around her waist, resting his hands on her stomach. Hermione laughed breathlessly and glanced over her shoulder; Draco smirked gently and placed a kiss on her cheek. She twisted in his arms, so his hands ended up on her butt and she rested hers on his shoulders, and he gently navigated her behind one of the aisles so they were hidden from the door.

"Draco, we shouldn't," Hermione gasped softly, as Draco gently placed his lips on her neck and started sucking that point right beneath her ear that made her knees wobble and quake, his hand smoothing the fabric of her dress up from her waist, and her heartbeat was hammering in her chest as Draco's warm fingertips traced the neckline of her dress. She cradled his face in her hands and smiled gently; _to hell with Lucius,_ and Draco gave her a roguish grin before capturing her lips in the most passionate, heated kiss she'd ever experienced in her life. She couldn't breathe and her mind was going blank, white hot with energy, and she gasped, uncertain how to feel when Draco slipped his hand under the fabric of her dress and her bra and cupped her breast.

"Your father will kill me," Hermione laughed breathlessly, placing her hand atop Draco's, capturing Draco's lips, slipping her tongue into his mouth and moaning as he gently squeezed her breast and pressed her against the bookcase, pressing his body against hers so all she could feel, see, smell, was Draco.

"At least you would die a very happy girl," Draco smirked, his lips plump and bruised from kissing.

"You cocky little—mm," Hermione moaned, allowing him access with his tongue, as his hand gently massaged her breast. With kissing, she realized, he only had to do it once to have enough confidence to do it expertly a hundred times over again. She wasn't complaining.

"Draco, Miss Granger, where are—what on earth are you doing?" Hermione gasped and Draco jumped, and they both stared with wide eyes, like baby deer witnessing the hunter shooting their mother-doe dead, as Mr. Malfoy gaped at them, horrified. _He's still groping you_, Hermione thought, glancing down at the same time as both Malfoy men did. Draco whipped his hand out of her dress and Hermione righted her neckline, feeling extremely hot under the collar. She was sure Lucius could see her lips pulsing from Draco's kisses.

"I would've thought that was quite obvious," said another voice, and William appeared, smirking smugly, but with the air of his friend having discovered Flobberworms wiggled about to move.

"Hermione, Draco!" called a lyrical voice, and Draco and Hermione both cringed visibly in humiliation as their mothers entered the library after their husbands.

"Er…we're just about to leave, Hermione," Phaedra said gently, and by the way her lips were twitching, Hermione could tell she was fighting the impulse to burst out laughing. "Say goodbye to Draco."

And with that the parents left.

Just left the room, as if nothing had happened, as if they hadn't caught Draco groping their dinner-guest in the darkened library.

"I think we should abstain from sex until they're all dead," Draco mused, and Hermione agreed with a hollow laugh. She was absolutely mortified, and apparently Draco was vibrating on the same wavelength; would they ever get through a make-out session without either of four parents walking in on them?

"They'd rise from the grave en masse," she said in a low voice. She glanced at Draco. He regarded her silently for a few seconds, cast a glance at the closed library door and Hermione gasped as he jumped her again and tried not to laugh out-loud in surprise, but extremely pleased, when he started kissing the life out of her. A few minutes later, and Draco gently pressed his lips against hers and tugged on her lower-lip with his teeth, nudging her nose affectionately with his, staring into her eyes.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" he whispered, stroking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and trailing the tips of his clever fingers down her throat and over her breast, making her shiver deliciously.

"I… I don't know," she said honestly, and that made her nervous. Draco's eyes were doing that soft grey thing and he kept glancing at her lips as he moved her subtly backwards until she was close to the wall, his arms wrapped around her waist, hugging her close.

"Can I see you?" Draco asked softly, his lips teetering fractions of an inch closer to hers. She nodded, willing him to move just that fraction of an inch closer, nodded again and Draco obliged her, and Hermione felt her chest expand like someone had pumped a great balloon inside her, and she loved Draco's tender kisses as much as she loved his passionate fuck-it-all making-out. He trailed tentative kisses along her jaw and chuckled deep in his throat when her knees did that quaky thing as he sucked gently on her neck at that point below her ear. _Okay, now you really have to go_, she thought, feeling heat well between her thighs, an odd tingly sensation going up and down her spine, and their parents' voices somewhere down the corridor. _I'm surprised they've let us alone this long_, she thought.

The adults were perfectly cordial in greeting them from the library—once Hermione had smoothed her hair and corrected her dress, which Draco had gone down again (which she had thoroughly enjoyed), and Draco had corrected the buttons of his shirt, which she'd been toying with before Mr Malfoy had caught them. Mrs Malfoy kissed Hermione's cheek upon goodbyes and Mr Malfoy just stared, as if he couldn't quite understand what was going on, but by the looks he shot his wife he was sure she would explain it for him.

"_Bye_ Draco," Phaedra beamed teasingly, and Draco's cheeks tinged pale pink: Catching her eye, they both blushed and smiled and looked away as she got into her family's sleek pale-gold car. Luckily, Phaedra and William were both in the front and Hermione had put a book in her bag, _just in case_, and now she buried her face in it, her heart still fluttering wildly, the feel of Draco's lips still _there_ on her lips and her throat and—she couldn't suppress a smile and licked her lips—her breasts. She'd worn the bra he liked, the dark-brown one with the gold lace that gave her a really good boost. _Oh, yes, he likes this bra a lot_, she thought, adjusting the neckline of her top nervously as Phaedra caught her eye, glancing back at her with a friendly smile, and she buried her face in her book again.

"Well at least it's not the _Kama Sutra_," she remarked softly, and Hermione shivered and her entire body burned in embarrassment. They reached the house and William unlocked the front-door.

"We'll come and say goodnight before we go to bed, sweetheart," William said, leaning to kiss her. "Keep your mouth closed." Hermione rolled her eyes and flushed with humiliation as her dad pecked her cheek, and Phaedra giggled. It was late, so Hermione went straight to her and Teddy's wing and frowned bemusedly as she heard some rather disconcerting noises echoing softly down the gallery. The portraits all giggled, running to and from each other's frames, and Hermione frowned as she drew closer to Teddy's bedroom, the door of which was ajar.

"Teddy, we're—_OH MY GOD!_" Hermione gasped loudly, her eyes wide as saucers as she saw the scene before her.

Teddy. _Her Teddy_ gaped at her, propped up (naked but for his sheets) over a very slender tousled-blonde girl, whose top had been tossed across the room with her shoes and the most ridiculously-tiny pair of cut-off shorts in the world, and whose willowy legs were wrapped around Teddy. She had very obviously walked in on them having sex. Teddy was kind of sweaty and the girl was gasping for breath and the sheets were a tangled mess.

"_Teddy_!"

"Er…"

"What the hell are you thinking? Mum and Dad are home!" Hermione whispered. She grabbed hold of the doorknob and slammed the door behind her, just as she saw William striding down the gallery towards them.

"You weren't supposed to be home 'til late," Teddy panted subtly.

"Ted! Hermione!" Hermione's eyes, if possible, grew wider as Teddy's bedroom door tried unsuccessfully to open. Hermione pushed against it with all her might, trying not to let her parents, but her father eventually won out, Hermione falling to the floor from the force.

William spluttered; Phaedra gaped incredulously, looking between both of her children, and the poor girl pinned beneath Teddy looked around uncomfortably at anything that was inanimate.

"_Teddy!_" Phaedra gasped.

"…I think I'm gonna go home," the blonde said quietly, covering her bare chest with her arms. Hermione picked up the girl's clothes and tossed them to her; it didn't make much of a difference; the top was a tiny silky camisole slip, orangey in color, with tiny halter-straps, and the shorts were at most six inches from hip to them. The girl cast Hermione a thankful glance before stooping to collect her boots and hastening out of the bedroom. Teddy glanced after her with soft, wistful eyes. _Oh, how _much_ we have in common_, Hermione thought in sarcastic delight.

"Come on, honey, let's leave these two alone," Phaedra said gently, sounding slightly stunned. "No exchanging sex-tips when we're gone." It was Hermione's turn to splutter indignantly.

"Sounds like Teddy knows what he's doing," William scoffed, and Phaedra had to forcibly drag her husband out of the room. The door closed and the two siblings glanced awkwardly at each other.

"So…who was that?"

"Marilis du Maurier," Teddy said, his sheets pulled around his hips from when the parents burst in.. He ran a hand through his hair and Hermione saw his chest rising and falling frantically, trying to regain his breath. _Probably shocked the hell out of him_, Hermione thought. _Well GOOD. I'm sick of _them_ always interrupting Draco and me._

"Marilis. Isn't she that slutty girl who transferred out of Hogwarts in 3rd year?" Hermione asked interestedly. She'd never seen much of Marilis; now she thought she could die without seeing Marilis _ever_ again.

"Er…she _did _transfer to Beaxbaton, yes," Teddy said awkwardly. _And she's slutty_, Hermione thought, admiring her brother because he didn't feel comfortable calling the girl he'd just been caught having sex with a slut. It showed excellent breeding in his character.

"Um…do you want me to leave?"

"Er—yeah. No, hang on—why'd Mum say not to share sex tips? What have _you_ been up to?" Teddy asked, narrowing his eyes scrutinizingly. "Hang on a minute! Draco didn't come to the party today—I _knew_ it! I _knew_ something was going to happen. Come here, tell me what happened."

Hermione gaped.

"You _knew_?"

"Well if _course_," Teddy said, as if she was incredibly thick, which she felt at that particular moment. Possibly it was much too late and she had been mentally traumatized too many times tonight. She knelt on the bench at the end of Teddy's bed, which hid his Hogwarts trunk beneath, and Teddy quickly put some clothes on.

"So Draco told you he likes you?"

"No. I read it."

"Read it where?"

"His journal."

"He let you read his _journal_!"

"_No_. I sort of…stole it."

"Sneak."

"Whore."

"Touché."

"So earlier this afternoon we were kissing, and Mrs Malfoy walked in on us. And this evening, we were kissing and Draco was groping me and Mr Malfoy caught us in the library," Hermione said, flustered and red-faced. It was _weird_, talking about her romantic life with her _brother_, of all people, _but if you can't talk to him, who else are you going to talk to about it? Ron? Harry? Ha! They're hardly more experienced than you are…Hermione, you're more experienced than both_.

"Wow," Teddy said softly, and Hermione nodded, her adrenaline from her make-out session with Draco wearing thin.

"So what about you? How did you end up with Marilis?"

"Well…it starts with a case of spiked Butterbeers," Teddy said, and Hermione laughed softly. "I don't know… She's really nice. She's not…she's not how other people think she is." Hermione nodded thoughtfully and listened to Teddy describing the party and the people he'd been hanging out with. So they stayed up for another hour talking about, well, first their unfortunate experiences of the day, and then about everything and anything they could think of, giggling so madly tears streamed down their cheeks and Hermione's stomach hurt.

**A.N.**: To _caterpuff_, I hope this chapter was awkward for you ;P Next chapter: The Talk. Mwahaha!


	11. Chapter 11: THE talk, part 1

**Author's Note**: Partial chapter- sorry! Luckily, there is more to come! GET EXCITED!

It made Hermione physically ill every time she thought about being caught being groped by Draco Malfoy—not that she hadn't enjoyed Draco's hands all over her—it was more to do with the fact that it had been her parents who had caught her. And she absolutely loathed William for those teasing looks and taunting anecdotes he shot at her every time she entered the same room as him. It didn't make figuring out what she and Draco _were_ exactly any easier considering the only times they'd been left alone together they hadn't done much talking and they'd always been interrupted.

"Going out?" Teddy asked nonchalantly, scribbling in his Transfiguration textbook. Hermione grunted softly as she strode towards her dressing room, a towel wrapped around her head and one around her body, shivering at the change of temperature. Compared to the under-floor heating of the bathroom the carpet was inexcusably cold.

"Draco's taking me to the fair," Hermione sighed. She wasn't all that thrilled about the roller-coasters—she'd never liked heights _or_ throwing up her meals, but Draco had promised her they could just have a go at the games and _talk_. Hermione knew it was essential they talked; that was the only reason he wanted to take her out, so soon after last night's episode with their parents, to talk about what they were now. She had no idea. She liked kissing him, but if that was all they were going to be…No; she was too emotionally involved with him for that to be enough.

It wasn't a date, technically, and the county fair at the park wasn't exactly a five-star restaurant, so Hermione decided to dress down; she tugged on a distressed denim mini-skirt and one of the little silk spaghetti-strap camisole tops Phaedra had bought her; it was teal blue with contrasting floral patterns on it, a lace-edged deep V-neckline and a ruffled hem. She clasped a necklace of bronze and teal-blue charms around her throat and put her hair down in tousled waves and tucked a pair of mirrored Aviator sunglasses into a brown leather handbag; she tugged on a pair of buckle-detail brown boots from TopShop and made sure she had cash and her Sirius before exiting the dressing-room to turn to her dressing-table and her quickly-expanding collection of cosmetics. _Looking nice takes so much time_, she thought with a heavy sigh, noting her armchair was empty; Teddy was next-door listening to some Wizarding rock band.

No day was complete without both of her parents putting their two-galleons in and it was William who first broached the subject of that dreaded three-letter word. _Sex_.

"You look incredible!" William said enthusiastically, and his eyebrows lowered dramatically—"Get in the kitchen!" Teddy, who had thrown on a smart shirt with his jeans and run a comb through his hair, shared quirked eyebrows with Hermione, shrugging his leather jacket on and pocketing his Sirius: he was going to see Marilis.

"Listen…" William sighed heavily, looking extremely uncomfortable as he propped himself up on his elbows over the marble island in the kitchen. Hermione waited tentatively, wondering what would come out of her father's mouth next. _Just tell them you've already had the Talk_, Hermione urged herself, but she couldn't, both because she didn't want to draw attention to the fact that her face was flaming like a Weasley at the thought of having to discuss sex with her father and the fact that she would have to admit she'd already had the Talk with her adoptive-parents.

"So how is your dating situation going?" William asked, watching her body language.

"Good," Hermione shrugged. _Despite you and mother and the Malfoys all conspiring against us to never give us a moment's peace together!_ She thought, annoyed.

"By that limited response, I suppose you believe it to be none of my business," William said in a low voice, nodding to himself. Hermione tilted one shoulder noncommittally. "Alright, listen closely, 'cause I'm only going to say this once, and it makes me feel yucky, so—I'm supposed to give you some fatherly—and _wise_—advice at this time in your life."

"Father—" Hermione stammered.

"No, wait, let me get this out. If you are ever wondering if a boy is thinking about you, he isn't. He's thinking about sex or he's hungry; those are the only two options," William said, and Hermione laughed, feeling a little less embarrassed. No matter what, William could put a comical spin on any situation.

"Are you _trying_ to be funny?" Hermione giggled softly.

"Well, you have two male best-friends, I'm sure you understand the workings of the male mind more than most girls your age can boast," William said quietly, "but I wanted to say something else, which is that boys think about sex every minute of the day. That is what they do; that is why they lie. They're going to leave you waiting for them to write to you and they _won't_ write to you. They're going to be charming and misleading." Hermione smiled softly, appreciating the fact that her dad cared about her enough to stand there squirming in front of her as he tried to talk about sex and relationships to the daughter he'd known for only a few weeks.

"Have you finished?" she asked, smirking gently. William sighed again, smoothing her hair away from her shoulders and cupping her face tenderly.

"You are beautiful, you are sensitive, and you are smart, and I don't want to see you get hurt," William said. Hermione smiled, gazing up another foot to meet her father's eyes.

"I love you, father," she said softly. William smiled. This was the first time she had told him that, and it made him feel like the happiest parent on earth.

"Keep your mouth closed," he said, looming closer to kiss her cheek. Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled. "Do you have money for tonight?"

"Er…a few galleons," Hermione said, checking her coin-purse. William rifled through his pocket and dropped a few coins into the palm he grabbed. "Thanks."

"Don't elope with that," William warned. Hermione rolled her eyes again and William chuckled. She left the kitchen and quickened her pace when she saw Draco was being cornered by Phaedra in the foyer.

**A.N.**: The next instalment will feature Hermione/Draco out at the fair and then Phaedra's take on the birds-and-bees talk. Be prepared to squirm for Phaedra's sake!


	12. Chapter 12: Two things

**A.N.**: Hiya! Thank you to everyone for your ongoing support for this fic! I have decided that this chapter will _not_ be from Hermione's point-of-view. I'd wanted to keep it strictly to what Hermione knew, but that's just not working for me for this chapter, so…

**A.N.2**: Oh: I've also decided I no longer like what I dressed Hermione in the last chapter, so I'm changing it.

Draco waited at the gate, frowning bemusedly up at the Notts' house, glancing into the trees on one side and the lake at the other, wondering from which—like Odysseus between Charybdis and Scylla—he could get away from if an emergency arose in the form of William Nott brandishing his wand. And he was scarcely less afraid of Mrs. Nott, or of Theo, emerging from the great house to castrate him before he could plead his innocence.

_I was only groping her_, Draco thought, wishing he hadn't, because the memory of Hermione's breasts in his hands, the warmth transmitting from those gentle swells to his cool palms still fresh in his mind, caused all the blood to rush downwards, and he had to take a few deep breaths and wait a little bit longer before he could approach the house.

When finally he strode up the gravel pathway to the front-doors, they burst open and Mrs. Nott appeared, resplendent in beautiful pearl-pink silk robes, the scariest glower on her face Draco had ever seen on anyone—including her daughter right before she'd punched him in the face. He stopped, wary, eyeing Mrs. Nott. _Is she going to hit me too? You _were_ caught groping her only daughter_, Draco thought. Mrs. Nott closed the door behind her and stood with her hands on her slim waist, glaring down at him from the top step.

"I feel it is my duty to talk to you as Hermione's mother. I know you two are not serious, however considering what happened last night I feel I should warn you…Hurt her," she warned with a growl, "and I will _flog_ you to within an inch of your life. I will flog you 'til your entrails become your _extrails_—I will—all the—" She was rendered speechless by her emotions, and satisfied herself with miming throttling someone's neck. "_Pain_," she declared at last, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Lots of pain!"

Draco had to keep himself from laughing. He had never seen Mrs. Nott so discomposed.

"Mother!" Hermione appeared, poking her head out of the front-doors. She gave Mrs. Nott a faintly reproving look, raising her eyebrows, and Mrs. Nott grumbled and turned back to the house.

"Alright then, have a good time," she sighed heavily, closing the doors behind her, shooting Draco one last malevolent glare. He glanced from Mrs. Nott's retreating face to Hermione: she was wearing a fluttery white chiffon top off her slim shoulders that had purple at the hem and sleeves, a pair of tight skinny dark jeans, and the delicacy of her top was offset by the dangerous edge of her four-inch black patent platforms with black elastic bands across her feet. Three thin gold strands looped around her neck and glinted in the gauzy folds of her top near her waist with little filigree details and beads, and her hair was loose and naturally tousled. She'd wiped off the excess of a deep plum lipstick to leave the sumptuous residue of color behind and coated her lashes with black mascara. She looked so _grown up_ with lipstick on, he couldn't understand why.

"You look pretty," Draco smiled. She really did. Hermione wasn't one of the more traditionally 'beautiful' girls that Hogwarts sometimes boasted. She was pretty and intelligent, and that far outshone any oversized bust or shiny hair. In Draco's mind, anyway. The one reason he liked Hermione so much—or the idea of being with her—was that he knew he could carry a conversation with this girl and they wouldn't have to resort to 'necking', as Blaise called it, all the time to have something to do; _then_, if that was the case, the girl would probably call the relationship shallow and end it. If Hermione was to break up with him—if they were actually _in_ a relationship—he knew it wouldn't be for that reason. For his being a Death Eater could be one reason. That none of her friends liked him could be another. That his parents had despised the very idea of her existence before this summer. That his aunt had tortured her.

Yeah—she had a myriad of reasons to choose from to break up with him. But he would never let her claim it was because they went two weeks without a meaningful conversation.

"Did you have a nice chat with Phaedra?" Hermione asked, and the corners of her tinted lips turned up in a delicate smirk.

"We came to an understanding," Draco smiled. There was no way he was going to hurt Hermione. As he had just been debating with himself, _she_ would be the one to end the relationship. He could conceive no problem with _her_. She was absolutely lovely.

And she had the most amazing pair of legs he'd ever seen inside a pair of those Muggle '_jeans'_. _Nice bum, too,_ he thought, checking out her backside as she started walking down the path, glancing over her shoulder and flashing a sweet smile. He shook his head and strode after her to catch up.

"So, have you ever been to a wizard fair before?" Draco asked interestedly. He'd been to a Muggle circus—_once_. He'd pleaded and pleaded with his mother for days before she finally caved (she couldn't deny Draco anything) and the clown had knocked his candy-floss over and his mother had run onto the little platform area, snatched the poor clown's wig, and let it be known she wouldn't give it back despite security unless he bought Draco another cotton-candy. He did, and it was twice as large as the first, and Draco vomited three times after he'd finished it (give or take a few rides on a wooden roller-coaster). He knew being sick had been the fault of the candy-floss, so he wasn't squeamish about roller-coasters.

"Never a wizard fair, but I've been to lots of Muggle carnivals at summertime," Hermione smiled. "My parents—the Grangers, not—" she sighed exasperatedly, and he could tell she was still confused, as she had been the day she'd spilled everything to him, "we used to go and have daytrips all throughout the summer; they would save up their holidays and we'd go to the zoo and London and the beach."

"Do you like roller-coasters?" Draco asked eagerly.

"I _love_ them!" Hermione grinned. "Which is really strange, because I absolutely hate flying."

"Muggle roller-coasters have all the pieces attached," Draco remarked. "That's probably why."

"Yes, I suppose," Hermione grinned. "And there are teams' on-call if the rides ever break down to rescue you. Have you ever been to Disneyworld? I suppose not, because you're a pureblood."

"Blaise has been," Draco said excitedly. "He said it's amazing—and _Universal Studios_ has a really enormous green roller-coaster. Blaise showed me a picture of it—"

"The _Hulk_," Hermione gasped excitedly. "I went on that thing _five times_. Mum was almost having an aneurism. I get my fear of flying from her. She gets antsy."

"Did your parents—the Grangers—take you to Disneyland?" Draco asked. He'd wanted to go, when Blaise showed him the photographs, and told him about a restaurant named _Kobe_ that served Japanese food, and swimming with scarred manatees Muggles had thought were mermaid's once-upon-a-time. In June, he and Blaise had gone to Blackpool to ride on the Muggle _Pepsi Max_, so Draco knew what it was like to ride the biggest roller-coaster in the UK. Blaise was never about paddling in the shallow end; to introduce anyone to anything, he shoved them into the deep end without armbands. No teacups for Draco.

"Yes. The summer-before-last," Hermione sighed wistfully. "I was looking at pictures of our holiday the other day. It seems so _long ago_."

"The last real holiday I went on was…my parents had been invited by Blaise's mother to share her hotel-reservations in Austria," Draco sighed. He absolutely _loved_ Muggle skiing. Anything that gave him an adrenaline rush, the impending doom of not knowing whether he'd wipe out in the snow-drift or break his neck failing to nail a ten-foot jump and drinking his way through the _Gasthoff_'s supply of Glühwein afterwards, or maybe sinking down onto the marble seat in the sauna for a few hours.

"My parents like skiing," Hermione said, with a tiny sigh. "I always got too squeamish about the snowboarders. They're so _obnoxious_." [A.N.: No offence; I'm a skier myself!]

"Well, I'll just have to take you where no Muggle-born has ever gone before," Draco smirked. Theo's parents were planning to go to the _Gasthoff Gansleit_ for a week after Christmas day, as they did almost every year, and the owners of the hotel really liked their wit (and money) so they didn't have to book as far ahead as the Muggle guests, and they had already asked Draco and his parents if they wanted to go together.

"Are you propositioning me, Mr. Malfoy?" Hermione asked, smirking playfully.

"Indeed I am," Draco grinned. "Ask your parents if they're going skiing this Christmas. I'll take you to the slopes only wizards can access." _Ones Muggles have no access to because they can't Apparate_, he thought. And no wizards snowboarded, either. "I used to want to move to Austria. You'd get to snow to and from school in the wintertime."

"You'd fit right in," Hermione laughed, eyeing him up with a smirk.

"Blonde hair, blue eyes; ah, yes," Draco rolled his eyes amusedly. Yes, he and his parents were the perfect example of the 'superior' Aryan race. Oh, Hitler would be so _proud_ of them. Not to mention the link between what Hitler had been doing and what Voldemort had been attempting to do was so fine they could mesh the two together and they'd still have the same monster. Draco wasn't hot on the dictators—although he had to be more sympathetic to the Mussolini because Blaise's mother was part-Italian—and he felt sure Hermione knew all about them. Hermione knew all about everything. _Except_ wizard roller-coasters.

It was late-afternoon when they reached the wizard fairgrounds. In the middle of the countryside, across a great spread of beautiful green meadows, the fair spread out from a temporarily-erected black metal fence, everything decorated with glittering fairy-lights, the only gate by the ticket-booth. Draco paid for entry into the fair and had a lot of money in his pockets for the rides and games, and inside he smiled and took Hermione's hand in his. She glanced at their linked hands and gave him a small smile, and from that moment on she walked closer to him, sometimes brushing his hand against her outer-thigh as they walked around.

First there were the little children's rides; teacups, flying-carpets, carousels of extremely realistic _clip-clopping_ unicorns and jewel-toned dragons and a really cool mini Ferris-wheel Draco wished he was still small enough to ride; the compartments were enormous bucket-shaped sea-shells with fluttering canopies lit up by fairies and ropes of more shells keeping the giggling and giddily shrieking children in their confines. Past the children's area was the marketplace; stalls from every wizard shop, from Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley especially, had set up their wares, taking advantage of the huge turnout. Apart from the high-street distributors, there were also individuals who had brought their handmade things, like an ex-carpenter who made beautiful smooth bowls and potpourri pots, and a young woman who made and sold her own delicate jewellery.

Draco, ever the forward-thinker, had asked Hermione when her birthday was; she was going to be eighteen in January. Among the fine pieces of (expensive, relatively) jewellery, Draco found a beautiful bracelet of platinum heart-shaped links with one link that was a little larger, and of gold. It was pretty and delicate. He didn't care if they didn't really go out properly; he liked her and that was all that mattered; he would give her that bracelet for her eighteenth birthday even if they were only friends.

"Who are you buying these for?" Hermione asked, examining the bracelet he held looped over his fingers so it dangled from them, catching the light, and the exquisite little platinum snowdrop that was barely half an inch in height, and the earrings that matched.

"Oh, my other girlfriends," Draco shrugged nonchalantly, putting the earrings back; Mother always wore the same diamond solitaires his father had given her on _her_ seventeenth birthday. But they had been going out for a year already. He had just met Hermione; he'd go for a precious metal rather than a gem.

"Your other… So am _I_ one of your girlfriends?" Hermione asked quietly, looking over the earrings. He glanced at Hermione. He knew _he_ wanted to settle on just what they were—because just kissing or just being friends was _not_ what he wanted; it would have broken his heart to think he might have had her and had lost her before he'd batted an eyelash—but he hadn't been so sure she wanted to bring it up. He hadn't thought the fair was an appropriate place to discuss their relationship with the depth he wanted to, but the fact she wanted to talk about it made him relax—even more so than he already was.

"If you want to be," he said quietly, glancing at her. A tiny smile had flitted over her lips as she examined another black velvet platter of earrings. He noticed that every time she swept her coffee-brown eyes over that single display flashing in the dying sunlight, she would always reach out half-heartedly for one particular pair of earrings.

"Do you want them?" he asked. She retracted her hand and shook her head, but she gazed at them again when she thought he wasn't looking. They were pretty, simple little things; a circle of hammered gold, with tiny links to a silver-winged chubby gold heart. He bought the bracelet and the earrings for Hermione; the woman smiled warmly at him and set the earrings in a tiny little decorative box and the bracelet in a slightly larger one, and he bought a stunning little platinum snowdrop pendant for his mother.

As they walked away, Draco handed her the littlest box.

"Draco, you didn't have to—" A gentle blush crept up her cheeks as Hermione opened the little box and the sunlight caught the fiery gold pieces lying on a bed of cotton-wool.

"You liked them," Draco said pointedly. He would give her anything she wanted. Even if it was old books. Even if he had to _carry_ them. "You got that look in your eye Theo gets when he's seen a book he obsesses over for three weeks before he goes back to buy it and it's already sold-out…Plus, with your coloring, they'd look lovely." She had the dark hair and golden complexion to pull off gold jewellery, and as she threaded the first pin through her piercing—Draco holding her little mauve-sequined bag and the three second-hand books she had bought, tied together with string—she secured it in place with the tiny butterfly-back, and did the same with the other earring. She shook her head, probably adjusting to the delicate weight of the earrings, and flicked her hair away behind her shoulders so the sunlight caught her in the face, illuminating the gold circles and glinting off the silver wings, winking off the hearts.

"They look lovely," he smiled, nodding.

"You didn't have to buy them for me," Hermione said gently, smiling softly. Her eyes glowed, never wavering from his. Draco blushed now, glancing at the floor. He glanced up again and caught sight of her lips.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" he asked, surprised at the nervous tremor in his voice. He'd just wanted to ask it before he lost his nerve, or more importantly before he forgot to. Hermione smiled, flashing the lovely white teeth that were so like her father's grin. "Then perhaps you can repay me for the earrings in-kind," he suggested, putting his arms around her waist, holding her closer. She laughed.

"You want me to pierce your ears, too," she teased.

"_No_," he said slowly, nudging her little nose gently with his. "How about a kiss?" She hummed softly, making a little thoughtful noise in her throat, and threaded her arms around his neck, and Draco had to fight the urge to sigh as she brushed her lips against his. His eyes slid closed, savoring the feel of her soft, supple lips against his, as he kissed her lips and tugged gently on her lower-lip with his teeth, smiling. Her lips tasted like the dark-cherries they were colored with. Sweet and tangy at the same time. Taking his girlfriend's hand, he smiled and continued walking down the aisle of stalls.

There were so many people at the fair that Draco never saw anyone he actually _knew_—though by association he had to pretend to smile at people as they waved and greeted Hermione brightly and said nice things to her. He wasn't sure is she did know them, or they were just acting that way to get in a word with the heroine.

"You really know how to make friends and influence people," he remarked, smiling, as Hermione came away from a couple who had wanted her photograph taken with their new baby, red-faced and just _daring_ him to say anything. "I suppose if it happened to me I'd tell them to shove it." Hermione gave him a look and laughed, shaking her head. "Where to next? Are you going to come on the roller-coasters?" Hermione grinned, and they got in line for the longest, highest and fastest roller-coaster boasted in the back meadow where more of the teenaged crowd had gathered by the arcade-games and food-market.

"Have you heard from your parents since you moved out?" Draco asked.

"One letter. It's going to take six weeks for the container with all of their belongings to be shipped to Australia, so they've got another month here and then they'll rent a furnished flat before looking for a house," Hermione sighed, glancing at the roller-coaster as people screamed, zooming past in the dragon-inspired construction.

"Why did they decide to move? Could they just not stand being near you that much longer?" Draco teased. She laughed softly.

"_No_. Mum and Dad always said when my dad retired, my mum would sell the business and they'd move out to Australia," Hermione shrugged. "It was always something they'd wanted to do."

"Will you miss them?"

"Yes, I suppose. I mean, it's good that I can Apparate; I'll just be able to pop in for tea," she grinned. They stored their belongings in a magically-locked cubby-hole once they reached the front of the queue and Draco clamped the safety-bar down once he had sat down beside Hermione in their little cart.

"You ready?" Draco grinned. He absolutely loved roller-coasters. Loved the adrenaline rush as the wind-up began, the jittery feeling that passed through his limbs as the carts were _clanked_ up to the starting-point. He glanced at Hermione, who was grinning apprehensively, no doubt waiting like he was for the plunge. He swore when the cart jerked, and Hermione's high scream turned within seconds to a continuous stream of delicious laughter. Tears from the air rushing past his face slipped from his eyes as he grinned and yelled, feeling his stomach plunge and twist, jump into his throat and go down to his feet as the roller-coaster rolled around and around, flipped and doubled-back, shot straight into the air, flipped backwards and they plummeted back.

"Well, I must say I'm glad _my_ girlfriend can handle a little roller-coaster," Draco smiled, putting his arm around Hermione's shoulders as they collected their belongings—glancing with a wrinkled nose at the girl now vomiting into a rubbish-bin, decidedly weak-kneed when she had stumbled off the ride. Hermione giggled, looked a little bit ashamed and tucked her head closer into his shoulder. "So, what next?"

While they had waited in the queue, Draco had spied the Honeyduke's stand; _that_ was their next port-of-call, after the butcher who was selling barbecued sausages in soft rolls with a table spread with condiments, several tables set aside for anyone to grab, and after a sausage bun for dinner, Draco bought Hermione a plate of apple slices drowned in warm caramel she'd practically drooled over, and freshly-made candy-floss of his favourite taste; cherry-brandy. Honeyduke's made all different flavours, including every single one of the Bertie Bott's concoctions, and things like Blood and Cockroach Cluster had been broken down into liquid form to add to the spun-sugar. And they shared their treats—although Hermione didn't let him have all of the caramel like he'd wanted! He focused on his candy-floss, frowning, as it dissipated with a tingly feeling left on his tongue. Hermione laughed softly.

"What's funny?" he asked, smiling.

"Just something my dad said just before we left," Hermione smiled, shaking her head slightly.

"Oh, what was that?" Draco asked interestedly. Whatever William had to say was always worth listening to—unless it was _politics_. Draco despised politics, mostly because his father loved them so much.

"Er…those boys only have two things on their minds," Hermione said, blushing again. Draco laughed, tearing a bit of candy-floss away from the folded paper cone.

"Mating and eating," he said thoughtfully, glancing at her for confirmation. How many times had he thought about Hermione's boobs in the last two hours? Her chiffon top was kind of see-through at times, particularly when she was standing blocking the sun, and he knew she was wearing a very pretty strapless white-lace bra trimmed with a black satin seam under the bust and a black bow decorated with a tiny oval diamante charm. And because she wore the top off her shoulders, whenever she bent at the waist to examine something at one of the stalls, or pick up a toy a child had dropped, he got a view of her cleavage, and instantly he always got the vision of dipping his finger—or _something else_—down it.

"At least you're honest," Hermione laughed, and Draco smiled nervously, wondering if she could tell he was hard. He _was_ wearing his favourite pair of relaxed, broken-in dark jeans, not a pair of smart pinstriped trousers he usually did when he had to be a host for guests at dinner-parties._ Those_ made it really obvious, and Draco's father had given him _The Talk_ as soon as the Notts had left that evening they'd been caught in the library—after Mother had told him what was going on, of course.

Nothing in his entire life had made him squirm more than his father trying to explain about penises and vaginas and birth-control and the stages of pregnancy "should you forget to use protection": his father hadn't been too impressed that he'd asked about sexually-transmitted diseases; the question had apparently stumped him, and Draco was still waiting for his father to get back to him with the answer. He glanced at the candy-floss; his appetite had gone entirely, and Hermione was happy to wrap locks of cotton-candy around her tongue and tear it off the paper cone._ That doesn't help_, he thought with a moan, watching her. _William definitely knows everything. Sex and food._

After they had finished eating—his appetite had returned remarkably, watching Hermione eat, delicately working with her tongue—Draco found his arm around Hermione's shoulders, hers around his waist, and they turned to the games that boasted large ticket bonuses that could be traded at the prize-booth for ginormous plush toys or cheap jewellery.

"I'm no good at these sorts of games, alright, I've warned you," Hermione said, frowning solemnly at him. Draco smiled and handed the man tending the first game—firing sparks at as many faux Diricawls as you could in a certain amount of time—several coins to start the rotating levers. Hermione took her stance; knees slightly bent, feet slightly wide apart, eyes narrowed; waiting. She hit the high-score and got the highest number of prize-tickets, and the man working the stall grumbled and Draco thought it best to go to another game as Hermione laughed delightedly.

"You're my good-luck charm," she grinned happily, folding the long length of blue tickets to a manageable size. Draco went at the next game—Quidditch oriented, he had to stand in a netted aisle and hit as many Bludgers away from him as he could. He didn't do as well as Hermione, but he'd never been particularly brilliant at Beater. Seeking was his forte. A huge tank of water had been erected and a feeble old wizard sat in a lawn-chair waiting for someone to hit the bulls-eye of the target. All the proceeds of funding the inevitable splash went to a werewolf rights campaign. Hermione took her place in the queue with decisiveness and Draco smiled as she frowned, arms crossed over her chest, probably wondering just how many people in the line were actually interested in picking up the pamphlets set up at the table by the paying booth, or whether they just wanted to see an old man dunked into a vat of freezing-cold water. Draco thought the same thing.

"You know what, by the looks of this line, I am going to go and trade in my tickets for some _fantastic_ prizes," Draco smiled, and Hermione smiled back, "and I'll be back and help you aim."

"I saw your Bludger score, Draco," she smirked. "I think I can do with_out_ your help!"

"Ouch!" He grinned, eyes closed, as she pressed her lips to his, and backed away, not wanting to let go of her warm hand, but he did, and he got in line for the plush-animal prizes. He had to wait ten minutes for the queue of screaming, crying children and necking teenagers to dissipate and finally got to trade in his tickets. He scanned the (lower) racks of toys made available to him by his meager winnings. _What would she like?_ There were mini-Demiguises and Clabberts with real glowing pustules in their foreheads, fairies, Fire Crabs, rows of vibrant mini-Fwoopers, Griffins and Hippogriffs, and Mooncalves. And then there were the traditional cute non-magical animals; bunny-rabbits, cats, puppies, elephants and tigers, and a little baby-otter, clutching a pearl-pink conch-shell. It was maybe eight inches tall and when Draco had exchanged his tickets for it, lovely and soft.

By the time he had turned back to the dunking-station, he noticed that Hermione was talking to somebody. Somebody who was tall and lanky and had a head of vibrant red hair, and whose words, by Hermione's expression, were extremely upsetting. Draco glowered; _Weasley_. He saw Hermione's jaw jut to one side as her eyes hardened, glassy, on a spot in the grass off to the other side, chin tucked down, except to snap a harsh retort at her friend. Her eyes sparkling, Draco stalked over to her. Before he reached her, he stopped, making a show of checking the soles of his shoes, finally leaning on her shoulder for balance as he checked them properly.

"I must have stepped in something, but I can't see—Oh," he made a point of eyeing Weasley from the shoes up, wrinkling his nose disgustedly at the freckled face. "Never mind. I was wondering where the stench was coming from."

"What do _you_ want, _Malfoy_," Weasley snapped harshly.

"Oh! I'm on a date, Weasley, with a girl," Draco said lightly, smirking briefly. "Can I ask what _you_ were doing upsetting her?" He waited for the words to sink in, internally relishing the feeling of having one-upped Weasley. And Potter, too, he supposed; he knew today he had officially stolen their girl.

"Very funny, Malfoy, now shove off while I talk to my friend," Weasley spat. Draco laughed condescendingly—he was very good at laughing different ways to piss people off.

"Well, it seems to me like you _were_ talking before, but I don't think the aim of a conversation with a _friend_ is to _upset them_," he glared.

"If you're looking for a fight, Malfoy—"

"Save it," Draco snapped. "Hermione and I are here on a date, having a good time. Do yourself a favour and don't ruin it any more than you've already tried to. Save whatever petty words you were trying to sting her with and get over the fact that her circumstances have changed." _So there!_ Draco thought, wishing he could stick his tongue out instead of folding his arms across his chest, making a point to show Hermione, among other people who had turned to see the two tall young men inches away from each other, that he, unlike Weasley, did not have his wand out. Weasley glared at Draco, and his eyes slid over to Hermione.

"I'll see you at school," he said curtly. "I don't suppose you're coming to the Burrow this summer." He shot Draco one last glare and stalked off, towards Potter, Draco noticed, who had decided wisely not to get involved, and who gave Draco a sort of _shrug_ as if to say at once 'thanks' and 'couldn't be helped.' Draco was alerted to Hermione again by a tiny sniff she had no doubt been trying to conceal from him. Just how upset she was; her eyes sparkled and her lower-lip trembled.

"What did he say to you?" Draco asked worriedly. He knew Weasley could be a right twat—he'd seen Hermione in third year, running down to Hagrid's crying, because Weasley and Potter weren't talking to her, and again sixth year when Weasley had been going out with that Brown girl and being completely insensitive about his female best-friend having a crush on him. Draco knew; he wasn't stupid, or blind: he just couldn't see what Hermione could see in that boy. _Mind you, it's pretty amazing she likes you, come to think of it_, Draco thought. All he could come up with was that Hermione had very bizarre taste in men, and he didn't doubt he'd find out she'd liked Neville Longbottom at some point.

"Doesn't matter," Hermione said hollowly, in that pitch he knew meant she was choked up with tears that she hadn't yet unleashed. He sighed heavily and took her hand, leading her away from the werewolf-rights campaigners, behind the booth for Madam Malkins robes—_Ooh, dressrobes half-price. I'd better look at those before she shuts up_, he thought, quickly flashing the woman a smile before tugging Hermione behind the tarpaulin.

"If you say 'I'm fine' I'm afraid I'm going to have to use Ligilimensy on you," he threatened playfully. His mother always said 'I'm _FINE_,' with the pitch of her voice getting higher with the second syllable. His father always had to watch out when she said that, because then she definitely was_ not_ alright. And his father usually had to pay for her saying that with jewellery.

"It's just…stupid things," Hermione shook her head, passing her forearm across her eyes, wiping the tears away and smudging her sexy-smoky eye-makeup. Her lips were as moist as her eyes as she sniffed miserably and her lower-lip trembled. Draco leaned his forehead against hers, sighing softly, taking her waist.

"Talk to me," he said softly. "You can talk to me, Hermione; I'm your boyfriend. And you know I have no qualms with cursing Weasley, especially if it's for you." That cheered her up a little bit, put a little smile on her lips. He tenderly brushed the tears away from her cheeks and she sniffed again sharply. She blinked the tears from her eyes and smiled wearily.

"Just stupid things I was afraid people would say," she said softly. "A hypocrite."

"That's dragon-dung," Draco snapped, a little too waspishly he realized he'd have liked to. He gently pulled her closer to him and nudged her slightly reddened little nose. "I mean…he doesn't know what he's talking about. Weasley's never met the Notts. Who is he to judge?"

"I know, it's silly," Hermione sniffed, her smile strengthening. "It isn't easy to stand up to Ron sometimes. He gets carried away."

"Well, I could get carried away with you, but on a whole different dimension," Draco whispered, inching closer to Hermione's lips. He pressed his against hers and sighed, cupping the back of her neck in his hand, taking her waist, smoothing her hair away from her throat as she kissed him back with slow, deliberated sensuousness. Her hands crept around his hips and she laughed suddenly into his lips. She broke away, bringing with her from the band of his jeans the otter plush-toy he had just won.

"What's this?" she asked, laughing, wondering why he'd stuck it in the band of his jeans. _Well, I wanted free hands when I was confronting Weasley_, he rationalized.

"It's…it's all I could get with my tickets," Draco smiled embarrassedly. "It's an otter. They had all different ones, but considering your position on part-human creatures, I didn't want to risk it giving you an all-magical animal." He got a laugh, and he was happy. "I got it for you." Hermione smiled softly, hugging the toy to her chest.

"The otter's my Patronus form," she smiled. He'd guessed correctly, she loved it. _Whoo!_


	13. Chapter 13: THE talk, part 2

**A.N.**: Me again! This chapter will definitely be shorter than the last; mostly because I keep having coughing fits that are tearing my throat apart! It feels like there's a plum lodged in my throat! [By the way; if you haven't noticed this already, when I'm ill I complain. _A lot_. To anyone!] This chapter is brought to you by I-Don't-Have-To-Go-To-Work-Tomorrow; for the best in excuses not to go to work, see Hannah! {Even if they're real excuses, they're excuses nonetheless!}

Phaedra fiddled with delicate Art Nouveau antique necklace William had given her for her birthday; its blood-red garnets complimented the red tulle following the hemline and bust of her delicate floral robes [If you type in _Vintage Textile_ and hit gallery, go to Edwardian, the gown is from 1905 and I'm obsessed with it] and the trim of the embroidered panel down the front. Expecting to out tonight, she had swept her hair up with several blood-red roses from her rose-garden, but now she was so agitated she hadn't wanted to leave the house. She sighed heavily and let the necklace drop, put the embroidery she had been working on in her little work-basket and stood up, brushing down the skirt of her gown, and stalked out of her little sitting-room.

_I can't see _anything _from in here_, she thought, shooting an accusatory glare at the windows that gave her a view only of her walled-gardens and the vibrant lawn that stretched to them. _William's view is better_; her husband's working study—the room she rarely entered because it was so dark and dreary, and besides that William's secret haven away from her when he wanted a mope—was right off the main hallway with brocade-hung windows looking out to the left onto the front-steps. She went straight to the first window and moved aside the gauzy sheers that protected the furniture from the noonday sun in summertime, and checked the front lawn.

"What are you doing?" William asked sharply. He was sitting at his grand desk, building a doll's house from scratch—modelled after their very own home. Whenever something with work—or with _her_—got to him too much, and he knew he was going to regret being so stressful later, he turned to making models. Teddy's nursery had been packed with them; during her second pregnancy she had not been the most accommodating lady.

"What are you building a doll's house for?" Phaedra retorted, not wanting to admit that she was spying. Or trying to, considering her sixteen-year-old daughter still had not returned from her date with Draco Malfoy.

"Don't change the subject—and it's for Hermione's room. I realised the other day that there is no doll's house in her bedroom, and I'd like her to have it because every little girl has a doll's house," William remarked, focusing on papering the wall of what was to become a fully-working kitchen. The doll's house was larger than Princess Mary's in Windsor Castle!

"Darling, Hermione is sixteen years old; she won't be playing with a doll's house," Phaedra laughed.

"I know that, blossom," her husband said easily, licking his lips and pushing his glasses up his nose. "But that room is so big and just think—when Draco knocks her up, Hermione's baby will love chewing on the furniture. You have to think of the future generations in these situations, darling." She had turned back to the window while William was talking; now she cricked her neck painfully glancing back over her shoulder. William smirked, giggled softly to himself, and tiled the floor of the kitchen.

"You talked to her, didn't you? About—?"

"I told her…boys only want two things," William said, poking his tongue out in concentration as he placed tiny miniatures of the paintings of the kitchen inside the little miniature kitchen. Phaedra frowned. Her father had told her boys only wanted one thing from her.

"Two?"

"Sex and food."

"Oh," she said softly. _That makes sense_, she thought, turning back to the window.

"Look at you!" William laughed softly. "You need a hobby, sweets. Why don't you try fixing that old writing-cabinet you love so much?"

"My darling," Phaedra sighed, pushing the curtain aside again and wrinkling her nose disappointedly, "I can only fix one thing at a time. And I'm still working on you."

"Somebody's in a mood this evening!"

"I'm worried. Stop nagging," Phaedra pouted.

"Phaedra, she's _fine_," William sighed soothingly. "Hermione's got a good head on her shoulders. She's not just going to jump him and have super happy fun time on her first date. There will _be_ no fireworks for Draco Malfoy in his foreseeable future. Those two barely know each other."

"That didn't stop us," Phaedra smirked, glancing back at her husband. He looked up from the little parlour he was stocking with real shrunken wine-bottles he'd taken out of the second wine-cellar.

"Oh my god," William sighed heavily, sitting back on his haunches and shaking his head. "Suddenly I feel like digging up your father and apologising to him for ever having had sex with his daughter."

"Oh, that's alright, William," Phaedra sighed, turning back to the window. "It's enough that you've apologised to me." With a loud _thwack_William's large, strong hand landed on her backside and she jumped. He encompassed her in his strong arms and Phaedra giggled girlishly as he held her close.

"What was that?" he asked, playfully threatening. She grinned and kissed his lips, tugging on his lower-lip with her teeth, linking her arms around his neck. Her husband had _never_ been _old_. He was packed with so much youthfulness and energy that most of the time _she_ felt like the older one in the marriage. Most of the time William was less mature than Teddy. But Phaedra wouldn't have had him any other way. William's ability to have fun and make the most of any situation had attracted her from the very beginning. Their relationship couldn't have lasted as long as it had after the fiasco with Hermione if William hadn't been who he was. He knew how delicate she was before he married her, and he knew how to take care of her after _it_ had happened. And when Teddy was born! She'd had to forcibly make him return to work because the attention he was giving her, and Teddy, had driven her almost insane. William sighed softly and pressed his forehead against hers.

"Well, what are you going to do?" he asked softly. "Your mother told you that you'd go straight to hell if you ever even _touched_ a boy, and we both know _that_ didn't work." Phaedra pouted, resting her cheek against William's chest. She didn't want to lose her baby girl so soon after she'd just found her again. And Draco Malfoy was _stealing_ her away from them with those blonde haired-blue eyed good looks and cocky charm.

"He's only going to end up hurting her," she pouted darkly.

"By the look of the bruises on her neck the other night, I'd say she already has," William said tartly, with a smirk. Phaedra smacked her open palm against his chest.

"William _please_!"

"Honey; they're teenagers. They like kissing. And you know very well what would happen if you forbid them to see each other," William grinned, inching his lips closer to hers. Phaedra hummed a giggle, pressed against the window-casement, and looked through her lashes up at her husband. Her parents had locked her in her old bedroom and taken away her wand when she'd announced she was going out with William Nott. He'd flown in through her window and they'd been caught having sex in her old bed surrounded by the porcelain dolls and plush animals her daddy had given her all through her childhood. They had called William a 'cradle-snatcher' because she was so much younger; he'd called them 'Gomez and Morticia,' and not in a nice way.

"You're just annoyed that she's on a date and you don't know what's going on," William guessed softly.

"I'm not annoyed that she's on a date—I'm annoyed that she might like it and want to go on another one. She'll like _him_ better than us and then we'll _never_ see her," Phaedra said desperately. She couldn't lose her baby again—not to _Draco Malfoy_!

"Honey, she couldn't very well have sex with either of us nearby," William smirked. "Of course she wants to go out—I'm _joking_! Seeing your daughter dating should make you feel terror, not jealousy! Look, she'll go out, have a lot of junk-food, throw up and need someone to take care of her in case she's ill again. Happy?" The prospect of waiting hand-and-foot on her ill daughter did have a certain appeal to it.

"I'll be you she lets _Draco_ take care of her," she snarled vindictively, staging several murders of that teenaged boy inside her head; the most effective was the blunt hedge-clippers. She wouldn't want him to go too quickly! "Where are they?" She turned back to the window, extremely indignant. It was past eleven o'clock and Hermione still wasn't home—she didn't even want to _know_ if Teddy was home; his track-record showed she would _not_ be walking into his bedroom in the late-hours _ever_ again.

"Probably having sex in her bedroom," William remarked, and Phaedra elbowed him when he giggled.

"You know what, because you're so sensitive and understanding, when she has her heart broken, I'll send Hermione to _you_ to sort out," she threatened. He chuckled softly and returned to his doll's house, knowing that should that opportunity arise, Phaedra would let _no one_ else have that position of caring for her baby. She stood a little straighter, peered closer to the window, as the light from the hallway windows and the little lamps either side of the doors illuminated a young couple standing inches away from each other and nudging noses affectionately. _They're home_, she gasped internally, fighting with herself not to run off and snatch Hermione inside.

Phaedra knew happy children. And for as long as she had known Draco—which was _all_ his life including his mother's pregnancy—he had _not _been one of them. He had never had any friends, cosseted by his parents who thought him too good for socialisation with children in such places as nursery-schools and play-groups, and when he started Hogwarts he just got more and more miserable until Phaedra had voiced her concerns to Narcissa about the poor boy's mental health. He and Teddy were quite close, and Teddy didn't have very many friends of his own, and she didn't know what would have happened to Teddy if Draco had done something drastic. _Now_, however, he was _smiling_. She rarely saw him truly _grin_, except when he one-upped William at _Monopoly_. But he held onto Hermione's hand as she tried to walk away; she ended up threading her hands around his neck and—

"How long have you been spying?" William whispered in her ear, making her shiver.

"Sixteen years. I'm getting good, aren't I," she smirked.

"Come away from the window; they might see you," William whispered, trying to move her away. _They can't see anything but each other_, she thought wistfully. She rested her head against his chest, just watching the two. Hermione was blushing and smiling coquettishly; Draco was doing that _smiling_-thing again.

"He does seem a lot happier," she said to herself. _Maybe being with Hermione is good for him, _she thought. It wasn't as if she couldn't understand why Draco Malfoy would have wanted to go out on a date with her daughter for any reason other than her looks. They'd talked all evening at the Malfoys' dinner-party.

"I'll kill him," William growled, and Phaedra had to put all her weight in tugging on his arm, almost dragging her across the carpeted-floor, to keep him from going to murder Draco. She dragged him back to the window; Draco gave Hermione one last lingering kiss, her hand clasped loosely in his, before stepping back and smiling, letting her go. _Well, that didn't end too badly_, she thought.

"Quick!" She gasped and flung herself into the little fireside chair William had in his office just for her if she wanted to sit with him. William sighed and turned to his doll's house. They heard the front-door open and Hermione's happy laugh and a very demure goodnight, and Draco was walking down the lawn as soon as the front-door was closed behind her and he knew she was home safely. Phaedra waited a few minutes, glad Hermione thought they had probably gone to bed because it was so late and didn't come into the study, and stood up, reaching for the door.

"Are you coming to bed?" she asked William. He looked away from the doll's house and grinned rakishly, leaping at her.

As she opened the study door, the front-doors burst open with a low laugh and a blurted giggle, and the blonde girl—_at least it's the same one_—they'd seen the other night came backwards into the house, practically _mauling_ Teddy's face as he slammed the front-doors behind him and grabbed her in his arms. The smell of cigarette-smoke and alcohol lingered on their clothing—however sparse_ hers _was. William had the presence of mind—because Phaedra just stood there, stunned—to clear his throat pointedly, and the two stopped what they were doing. Teddy slid his eyes from the girl onto them, and Phaedra just stared. The girl gasped, hid a giggle behind her hand, and bit her lip as she glanced up at Teddy.

And then the silly tart had the audacity to grab her son, plaster a searing kiss on his lips, and whisper something in his ear before turning to the doors. Phaedra's jaw dropped, if possible, even further when Teddy twisted, showing them his back, following the girl's lips with his own as he shut the door behind her. His t-shirt showed tiny speckles—tiny, but noticeable, because the t-shirt was white—of something red. In short two-inch trails of three. _Fingernails_, she gasped hollowly. Teddy gave them one wide-eyed look and fled.

"You know, I do believe I will have The Talk with them," she said faintly.

"Be sure to tell Hermione to _never_ trust boys, because we lie _big time_," William said. "And ask Ted…just who in the hell that girl was because she has _incredible_ legs. Ask him where he picked her up!"

It made Phaedra shiver unpleasantly each time she tried to start the conversation in her mind; it would have been easier to talk to two daughters, or she could have let William handle Ted. But no; she had a son _and_ daughter about the same age and they knew far too much than they should. It wasn't healthy for _her_ that they were getting to 'that age' and wanting to experiment. She shivered again, shaking her head.

"Jesus! Teddy! What did you let Marilis _do _to you?" Hermione's voice rang down the corridor, sounding at once indignant and mirthful.

"The girl is a wild-cat," Teddy's reply came, with a groan. "How was your night?"

"It was really nice. Look what Draco gave me!" Phaedra practically ran down the corridor, bursting into Teddy's room, where the two siblings had congregated to discuss the important things in life; their dates. _What did he give her?_ If it was another hickey, she would personally cut off Draco Malfoy's tongue. Among other things. Hermione had her hair held away from her throat—_I'll kill him_—but then Phaedra stopped, frowned bemusedly at her daughter, who was staring at her, and Phaedra suddenly wondered what she looked like to her children.

Hermione was showing off a very lovely pair of gold earrings; winged hearts glinted, swinging from hammered circles of gold._ Wow! Jewellery on a first-date. That boy knows how to treat a lady right!_ She glanced from Hermione to Teddy and sighed heavily, closing the door softly behind her.

"Alright, listen…I know we've always let the birds and bees fly around this house…Sex," she sighed, running her hand over her face, cradling her elbow in her palm, and when she glanced through her fingers both her children had their foreheads in their hands, "is something that isn't going to be…_good_," she felt ill, "until you're…older."

"_Mother_," Teddy complained, looking as though he was in some intense form of pain.

"No; we've never really…I know your father spoke to you when you spent a lot of time in the bathroom when you were twelve, but we've never really…_talked_ about sex before, and I think we should have that discussion now," Phaedra said, brushing her palms against each other nervously. Hermione had glanced at Teddy, her cheeks puffed out and her eyes glittering, trying her best not to laugh. Teddy sighed heavily, shooting his sister a dark look, and leaned forward, elbows on knees, expression gloomy.

"Alright; go ahead," Hermione sighed, as if signing her own death-warrant.

"Okay…" _What am I supposed to say?_ "Well…if you _were_ to, you know, _do it_ now," Phaedra sighed, unable to look her daughter in the eye, and resorted to running her fingers over her face again, pinching the bridge of her nose, "you would have _some_ pleasure in it," a nasty shiver went down her spine, "but it would be a lot better if—"

"What you're trying to say," Teddy sighed, taking charge, seeing as how Phaedra could barely even string a sentence together without shuddering, "is that Hermione is still far too young to have sex."

"Well—," Hermione spoke up, frowning at Teddy as if she disagreed, but Phaedra let her speak, "both our bodies and our _minds_ have to reach a certain point of maturity." She shot Teddy a look that suggested there would definitely be a feminist movement in this house beginning before long. "And I wouldn't want to look back on my life and regret the decisions I've made—and I would have to love him, if I was to have sex with him."

"Yeah," Phaedra smiled, glad she didn't actually have to say those things out-loud, but a little irked that her children knew so much already without her ever having spoken to them. _They're right; kids _do _grow up too fast_, she thought, wondering just what else they were learning at that school where magic happened.

"And you'd have to respect him," Hermione added. "Or it's meaningless."

"And that—"

"_I_ respected _her_," Teddy nodded.

"It's a beautiful, _beautiful_ thing," Hermione added. Phaedra couldn't think of one single thing to say. No, that wasn't right.

"The bottom line is," she sighed, looking her children right in the eyes. "I love you. And I always want you to be able to talk to me." They both nodded sombrely.

"Love you too," they both told her, and she smiled and sighed as she stepped out of the bedroom. _That wasn't too bad_, she thought, thinking that she felt a little better for their talk.

Until the door closed and Hermione's rippling giggles and Teddy's deep, rumbling laugh echoed down the corridor.

"_Oh my god!_" Hermione shrieked breathlessly.

"_How pathetic_," Teddy laughed brokenly.

**A.N.**: I had fun writing this chapter. With several references to _Roseanne_. Roseanne is LEGEND; she has much knowledge. Adieu, I hope you enjoyed!


	14. Chapter 14: Confrontation

**Yay! I finally uploaded my new story! I am SOO sorry it took so long, my internet is down! And whenever I need internet, it is for homework and stuff, sorry again!**

**I would like to dedicate this chapter to **_mellowenglishgal_, **thank you for letting me adopt this wonderful story! I know it's not my brainchild, but I'm definitely getting strong vibes off this one! I am so excited to be writing for ya'll.**

**So, on this chapter I get **_**a bit **_**of credit... ha-ha! Most credit still goes to the dedicatee, though!**

**SOOOO this chappy is just some fluff with a bit of a plot, I wanted to get a steady relationship going between Hermione and Draco before the REAL action starts next chapter! Halfway done with that, so should be up soon! Love ya all! **

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After a lovely evening with Draco and a couple hours of sibling chat with Teddy, Hermione finally retired to her room.

She almost couldn't bring herself to take out the earrings, but she knew she had to clean them. She sighed, then quickly took them out, like ripping off a band aid. She stared admiringly at the pendants.

_I'm really in over my head, _she thought with a smile, not caring at all if she truly was or not. She really liked Draco, and there was no stopping that. She would see what the day held for her tomorrow, but as she looked through her closet and found a pair of particularly dirty pajamas, she saw exactly what she would be wearing when the Malfoys came over for dinner again. The excitement bubbled inside her.

_Oh, this is gonna be gooood!_

_~:~:~:~:~:~_

Waking up from a wonderful night's sleep, Hermione stepped out of bed, fixed her morning hair into a quick messy bun swished to the side, and made her way to the kitchen, making sure to grab her robe to hide her pajamas.

These were meant for Draco's eyes only.

It had been a three days since her date with Draco, and unfortunately she hadn't been able to see him since. She had spent the day after sleeping and reading, though she couldn't focus with all her thoughts absorbed with her new boyfriend. She got giddy just thinking about him. The day after this Draco had to go to his parent's friend's house to keep their daughter occupied all day. She felt jealousy boil in just thinking about it, but always felt better thinking about the letter he sent saying all he talked about was his beautiful girlfriend the whole day. That must have set Astoria back a bit.

She walked out of her room.

She didn't know what is was, but a heavenly smell was coming from the kitchen. She glided towards it with her nose in the air.

When she finally arrived, the sight in front her caused her to gasp.

Sitting in the middle of the island was a giant plate of cinnamon rolls, the sugary drizzle causing to lick her lips. But the people in the seats are what surprised her.

Draco was sitting in one of the tall chairs, Teddy sitting next to him, and they both had cinnamon rolls sitting in front of them. They were in the middle of laughing at something that was obviously very funny, because their faces were facing the sky as they laughed.

Draco was dressed in a sexy white muscle shirt, his defined abs rippling. Hermione loved the view. He also wore a pair of green pajama pants, simple flip-flops on his feet. He appeared as if he had just rolled out of bed, his hair tousled and bright eyes making him look absolutely delicious.

Teddy had a similar appearance, but looked as if he had _literally _rolled out of bed. All he had on were a pair of boxers.

"Teddy, really! Do you walk around all the time in boxers?"

The boys turned toward her. Draco's eyes gleaming. Teddy just rolled his eyes.

"Mummy dear and dad decided to take Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy to an antique fair. Said they'll be there all day, so I invited Draco over…"

He gave her a mischievous look.

"…Though I won't be able to entertain him all day, for I have plans with Marilis. You wouldn't mind helping me with that, would you Hermione?"

She only glared at him.

"Not at all, Theodore."

"Great!" He exclaimed, moving his hands to his breakfast, tearing of a particularly gooey part and jamming it in his mouth. Hermione rolled her eyes. _Boys._

Draco followed suit, and Hermione grabbed some orange juice and decided for just one roll. She moved to sit in the chair next to Draco. They made small talk while they ate, pushing each other around and shouting out offensive things that only made them laugh harder.

Hermione picked up their dishes and carried them to the sink. She laughed at something Teddy said, but as she turned on the water to wash them, she felt something behind her…

"Aaaaahhh!" She shrieked, dropping the plates and twisting around in the arms that had grabbed her side. That was her ticklish spot, so if the hands, _Draco's _hands, had been placed anywhere else, she wouldn't have had such a satisfying reaction.

"Ticklish?" Draco chuckled, moving his fingers and causing Hermione to gasp and her eyes to start watering.

"No", she whimpered, but it didn't matter. She was caught.

Teddy smiled at the preoccupied couple. Hermione's laughs filled the air, Draco rarely-heard laugh joining in. Theodore Nott was simple not needed here.

Silently as he could, Teddy crept out of the kitchen, making his way to his bedroom.

Finally, after Hermione's face was wet with tears, Draco let up. He moved his hands to push against the counter on either side of her, smiling down at the beauty in front of him. Hermione stilled giggled as she wiped the tears from her eyes, finally noticing him staring.

"What do you want?" she asked him gleefully, crossing her arms and leaning back against the counter. His eyes moved down at the glimpse of lace that caught his eye. His stare widened.

Never in his life had he seen a sexier sight.

She was wearing a strapless nightgown that barely hit her upper thigh. Two black lacy bra cups covered her round breasts, the intricate design daring him to look longer. The silky, forest green skirt was attached to the bottom of them, flowing down her curves. His favorite part was the bow tied neatly between the cups. One could see that the ribbon curved on the top of the cups all around the dress, meaning if he pulled that bow… the whole thing came off.

Draco Malfoy had never been more tempted in his life.

He groaned as he looked back into her eyes.

"This was for me, wasn't it?"

"Indeed it was, Mr. Malfoy", she replied with an icy smile, sensing exactly what her little getup was doing to him. His erection pressed against her leg, and she bit back a gasp. Now was not the time to act like some inexperienced virgin.

He slowly leaned down, and she had the pleasant impression he was going to kiss her, but his mouth passed her and latched onto her lobe. _That _made her gasp.

"How very smart of you, Miss Granger", he replied lowly, clearing upping his sex appeal, nipping at the erotic skin.

A throat cleared behind them.

They both turned their heads, Malfoy moving slightly to the left so he could see Teddy clearly. That gave Teddy a good look at his sister's sleep attire.

"My, my, sister dearest. I didn't know you had it in you."

Hermione blushed, smiling sheepishly at the ground. She had gotten this _without _her mother's help, to her relief, and she wasn't fond of the whole family knowing of her fetish for lingerie pajamas.

"I'll be off, then", Teddy said nonchalantly. He had gone to his room to change, wearing a white t-shirt under a classic, beaten up, brown leather jacket. Jeans covered his polka-dot boxers, and he simply threw a pair of Sperry's onto his feet.

"Have fun", Hermione sighed, trying to discreetly pull her robe closer to her.

"You too", Teddy said with a wink; though his meaning was perfectly clear from the way he said it, even without the wink.

Hermione rolled her eyes as he walked away. She let a breath out when she heard the door close.

"We just can't catch a break, can we?" Draco sighed, leaning his body into Hermione's.

"Never", she replied back softly.

"So what do you want to do today?" he asked, kissing her cheek and returning to his abandoned chair. Hermione just pushed herself onto the counter.

"Spa day?" she joked with a grin, watching him chuckle and roll his eyes.

"No, I did that yesterday, Hermione. Any other ideas?" he sarcastically said back, watching as Hermione jokily put a finger onto her chin, pretending like she was thinking.

"Hmmmm", she hummed, her eyes roaming over his body suggestively. He smirked.

"Well we could…" Hermione trailed off, deciding instead to jump off the counter and walk nonchalantly toward the stairs. Before she left the kitchen she looked back at her beau.

"Coming?" she asked ever so lightly, letting her robe slide from her shoulders and fall in the entry. She smiled again and pranced off.

"Oh, it's on", Draco mumbled under his breath, getting his pants in check and followed behind her.

When he left the doorway of the kitchen, Hermione was nowhere to be seen. But he could hear her giggling up the stairs. He took them two at a time, then turned to walk toward her room.

When he turned the corner that led to her and Theo's rooms, something jumped on his back. Legs wrapped around his waist and he could feel teeth latch onto his ear lobe, sucking and nipping intimately.

"You really are a lioness, aren't you?" he moaned, his large hands wrapping around her arms, which had themselves enfolded around his broad shoulders. Hermione giggled and dropped to her feet. Draco used his hold on her arms to spin her in front of him and planted his lips on hers. She responded with fervor.

They walked backwards, lips not parting, until Hermione's back felt a door. Her hand hurriedly found the doorknob and pushed them inside.

Hands were everywhere; pushing, pulling, burying in each other's hair. Their lips parted and pressed against each other, tongues twisting together in an erotic dance. Hermione's back again hit something that landed at the small of her back. Her eyebrows drew together. _I don't have any furniture like that…_

She managed to pull her lips away for a second, Draco not even waiting and starting to suck at her neck. Hermione fought to keep her eyes open, looking around what she thought was her room. It was Teddy's room.

Her back was pressed against his grand piano he liked to play. What a great idea…

Using Draco's shoulders for support, she pushed herself on top of it and returned to his lips.

_How many people can say they've made out on top of their brother's grand piano? Not a lot!_

The pure excitement of doing something adventurous electrified Hermione's insides. She really wasn't the outgoing type, but that moment she realized she had really come out of her shell since coming to live with the Notts.

She smiled into the kiss.

Draco pushed between her legs, moving his hands so one was on the back of her neck, the other on the small of her back, pushing. Hermione gasped.

His erection was pressed tightly against her core. Hermione shivered in ecstasy, shoving her hands deeper in his silver hair thrusting her hips against his. She loved it.

Draco moaned with surprise at her forward movement, but quickly mimicked her action. He moved his mouth to her neck.

"You are so hot, baby, you know that?" he growled against her skin, causing her to shiver again. She had never been talked to dirty before. It turned her on. A lot.

She stretched her head up, wanting Draco to continue his affective ministrations, whimpering her pleasure to him.

"Do you like this, me humping you against a piano?" He snarled, biting against her skin. It caused Hermione to scream, but in a pleasurable way, the pain of the intended move only registering as ecstasy.

Draco could feel her center getting warmer against his. He smiled evilly.

"Hmm, so dirty talk turns you on, doesn't it, sweetheart?" He chuckled, Hermione against clutching his hair and thrusting her hips forward.

"Oh, Draco, that feels so good!" She exclaimed, surprised she could even form words.

Their lips met again, smashing against each other in an almost painful way, but all they disclosed were that their lips were once again touching. They couldn't get enough of each other.

So, naturally, that was the best time for the door bell to ring.

Hermione pulled away, resting her forehead on his, him sighing, his warm breath fanning her face.

"Even when we're alone…" Draco trailed off, taking a baby step backwards and pulling Hermione lightly off the piano. _That really was fun, _she thought, following Draco out of Teddy's room with a longing look at the once annoying piano.

Next time Teddy woke her up by playing the piano, she would _definitely _get him back.

They made their way downstairs hand in hand, giving each other wishful side glances and occasionally stop for a quick peck before anything got out of hand.

Before they reached the door, Hermione quickly excused herself to grab her robe that she saw out of the corner of her eye, already knowing whoever was outside that door was _not _going to see her in _this. _

Draco walked ahead of her, which a split second later, she knew that wasn't a good decision.

"What are _you _doing here?" she heard him growl. She frantically tried to pull her robe on and speed-walk to the door, now dying to know who it was.

"I want to see Hermione! What are _you _doing here, ferret?"

One second thought, maybe she didn't. She inwardly groaned. Not him, of all people.

She reached the door, and it only took a snip of red hair for her to know who was trying to push past Draco.

"Ron! What are you doing here?"

"Hermione! I came to see you! Now tell the ferret to go back a play with Theodore", he tried to snarl, but it came out sounding as if he had an itch in his throat.

"Theo isn't here", Draco successfully snarled, moving backwards slightly to grab a hold of Hermione's hand. "I'm here with Hermione."

Ron upper lip twitched, and his glare swiveled to Hermione, but his eyes widened.

"What is _that_?" he nearly shrieked, pointing his finger to her robe loosely hanging on her shoulder, forgotten in the excitement. She immediately remembered, pulling the sides together and knotting the string.

"Nothing for you to see", she said in an irritated tone, clearly not happy with her "friend's" visit. "How could you even think I would want to hang out with you after what you said? Do you know how hurt I was?" She was nearly screaming at him by the end. Draco had to resist the urge to punch the redhead. Nobody hurt his girl.

Ron looked taken aback.

"Hurt? Hermione, you're not thinking straight! This is _Malfoy_! He has to be planning something! I was warning you, and you need to listen!"

"Warning me?" Hermione shrieked, stepping away from the security of Draco and taking a step closer to the new bane of her existence. "You insulted my intelligence! You insulted my family! And you even dropped low enough to insult my boyfriend!"

"Boyfriend!" Ron spat, glaring at Draco. "Hermione, I am supposed to be your boyfriend! We were best friends for 6 years, and then _you _kissed _me_! Just because you got a new family doesn't…"

Ron went quiet for a second, then his eyes lit up, his face forming an understanding face. He again grabbed for Hermione, this time succeeding. She protested, and Draco took steps forward. Then Ron crossed the line. He kissed her.

Draco froze. That was his girl. _His. Girl. _He pushed the red away from his eyes, not wanting to do anything that would upset Hermione. He cared for her too much. He lightly grabbed Hermione's shoulders and tugged with amazing strength, yet not squeezing Hermione painfully. He took her hand and yanked her behind him, staring at the bewildered look on Ron's face.

"Hermione, I get it now! Your family is _making _you date him!" He looked very pleased with himself, smiling huge at Hermione, waiting for her to run to his arms and thank him for freeing her. No such luck. Draco rolled his eyes. _What an idiot. _

"Her family is not making her date me, you dolt!" Draco spat at him, feeling pure fury. Hermione tightened her hand on his, trying to keep him at bay.

The two men stared at each other, neither daring to back down. Both of them wanted to scream "SHE'S MINE" but Draco wasn't willing to argue over Hermione in front of her. He knew she would disapprove. He would have to do that on his own time.

"Ron, you need to go", Hermione said from behind Draco, his large frame guarding her from the Weasel's view.

"No, Hermione—"

"She said leave", Draco said in an eerily calm voice, his Slytherin scowl and cold stare not leaving room for any other opposition.

Ron frowned back, looking over his shoulder to see if Hermione would stop him. After a moment of silence, Ron turned on his heel and stormed away, slamming her front door in his anger.

The house seemed to vibrate from the collision.

Draco felt Hermione relax her body against his back, wrapping her arms around his waist. She let out an exasperated sigh.

"Are you ok, love?" he asked softly, reaching one arm backwards to soothingly stroke her thigh. She sighed again.

"No."

"Please talk to me", Draco pleaded tenderly, not wanting to push her but hating to hear she was distraught. He felt his hand being taken and was pulled toward the stairs, where they sat. Just like the first time.

Draco sat first, pulling Hermione to sit on his lap. She rested to forehead against his. She kissed him chastely, and gathering up his willpower, he didn't push her any farther, just returned the kiss and remained silent.

"Remember when he cornered me at the fair?" She started.

"How could I forget?" Draco grunted. It was in that moment he knew he would cherish her, he hated to see her crying over someone as ridiculous as Weasley. Hermione laughed slightly.

"Well, I know that I didn't want to tell you what he said, but I didn't want to put a damper on our date." Draco lifted his girlfriend's chin up, looking into her eyes with love. But all he saw in hers was a battle. He understood. She had all her feelings about the hurtful encounter bottled up, and it was killing her trying to keep them in, even if it wasn't that long ago. His face softened even more, knowing the feeling. Hermione laughed dryly.

"I know this can't even compare to when this happened to you. You had to hold it in for years and I can't even manage three days!" Her eyes got glassy and one tear leaked out, rolling down her cheek. Draco leaned his head forward to kiss it away, then sliding his lips across her cheek to lightly kiss her lips as well.

"It ok, baby, I'll understand. What did he say to you?"

Hermione looked at him through the Nott's signature brown eyes.

"Well… he saw me at the fair. With you", Hermione took one deep breath, then closed her eyes and told him the rest of the story. "He asked what I was doing with you. I told him I was on a date. He mocked me, saying you only wanted my family's money and estates, you didn't care about me. I told him he was wrong, that we truly liked each other, and my family's wealth has nothing to do with our relationship. Again, he wouldn't let himself see I was having fun, instead attacking my intellect, saying I was clearly under some spell or afraid of what my family would think of me if I acted like I had before and just dated him. He was just telling me how naive I was being, that I could just come and hide with him at the Burrow, when you showed up."

By the end, tears were streaming down her face, yet surprisingly her speech didn't slur, still perfectly understandable. All Draco had to do was wrap Hermione in his arms for her to start bawling. She turned her head into his shirt and wailed.

"Why?... He's my best friend!... I can't believe he did that… Draco, I'm so sorry!"

Draco just shushed her, whispering sweet nothings in her ear and kissing her neck, trying to calm her down. Yet on the inside he felt anything but calm. How _could _a supposed best friend hurt her like this? Had he no heart? Draco wanted to go find the bastard and kick him where it hurts, but again, he knew Hermione wouldn't like it, only give her temporary satisfaction, if even that.

Hermione quieted down after a couple minutes, rocking herself in his arms. Hermione's thought process wasn't calming her down at all, despite her outside appearances.

_He must think I am so selfish! He went through so much… and by himself! I can't believe I'm doing this to him! Oh, Draco, I'm so sorry! _

"Why don't we go do something? To get your mind off this?"

Hermione's thoughts were instantly gone, her wonderful new boyfriend's face all she could think about. She simply nodded, letting him lift her to her feet, then again embracing him in a hug. Draco chuckled lightly, lifting her up under her knees and cradling her.

"Why don't we go get some lunch, hmm? I know a place that has the most amazing pasta…"

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"I promise I will be back, Tony", Draco laughed at the restaurant owner, his arm wrapped around Hermione's waist and the other hand waving at the proprietor of "Pureblood Pizzeria", a family-owned Wizarding restaurant that apparently catered many parties the Malfoys had at their Italy villa.

Yes, Draco had Apparated Hermione to Italy for this special lunch, also paying the check. The pasta truly had been amazing, Tony said he prepared it himself. Hermione almost laughed. The Malfoys seemed to know the most helpful people.

"So you liked it?" Draco asked her, moving to open the door for her so they could walk around the strip mall, much like Diagon Alley. Hermione nodded fervently.

"That was amazing!" She said happily, taking Draco's hand and entwining their fingers.

She had forgotten about Ron for the moment, so she dreaded the thought of going back home where her temporary relief would come to an end. But for now, she just enjoyed her boyfriend's company. She loved the smell of the vineyard the mall was hidden behind, a strong shield of magic making the shopping center blend in with the surrounding grapes.

"Good", Draco smiled, then blushed. This didn't go unnoticed by his girlfriend.

"What?" She said with a mischievous smile, poking him in the side. He laughed.

"When I was a kid, Tony would always say one day I would take a beautiful girl to his restaurant for a date."

Hermione blushed at this.

"I don't believe I hardly count as beautiful…" she said quietly, her cheeks turning a rosy red.

"You are the most beautiful girl I have ever met", Draco said with a silky smooth voice, kissing her hair and squeezing her hand.

They walked calmly for a while, looking around them at the happy Italians and looking into tiny shop windows.

Draco could tell she loved it here. The warm air and happy atmosphere were very intoxicating; he could easily understand.

Hermione pulled him in to little shops, exploring the cabinets of vast Wizarding antiques and telling Draco interesting facts she could pull of the top of her head. He only smiled at her, loving the way she could get so carried away with the smallest things. He ended up buying her a ring that had an ancient stone on the top that was supposed to help concentrate magic, after she went on and on about the amazing properties of such an object. He would give that to her later.

They continued down the streets, the common Italian shop owners' yelling at him in Italian, asking him how he was and where he had snagged such a gorgeous girl. He only laughed and replied back in perfect Italian, then would kiss Hermione to show his love. The old shop keepers would congratulate him and demand he come back with her.

"It really is beautiful", Hermione told him in a soft voice, braiding a flower she received into her hair and bringing his attention back to the present. He looked down at her.

The low sun shined off of her creamy skin, making her glow. Her hair looked as if it had ivory bouncing on the top, mixing with her caramel and chocolate layers. Her lips were plump and dusky rose color, begging for his mouth.

Draco pulled them toward a tree on top of a hill, which overlooked the small village and the surrounding vineyard.

Using his wand, he transfigured tree branches into an earthy swing, only big enough for one. Draco sat, and then patted his lap, smiling at her.

Giggling, she sat on his lap and leaned back against his chest.

They sat perfectly for a while, staring at the setting sun. The scent of the grapes was strong, and the orange sky was breathtaking.

But not more than her eyes.

She stared at him through her sepia eyes, finding his eyes already on her. She gave him a simple closed-lip smile, managing to make it look like the best grin in the world. Her eyes flitted to his lips, licked her lips, then back up to his eyes.

His lips smashed against hers. She was tempting him, he knew, yet she made it look so innocent.

She moved her lips against his, pushing yet pulling at the same time. Her mouth parted, and her tongue escaped to pry at his own. He opened without hesitance. Maybe most guys wouldn't admit it, but every guy knew it; it was the _hottest _thing to be dominated. It always went that the man was the dominant, that's what made the opposite role-play so forbidden and erotic.

Hermione knew what she was doing to him. She put her head above his, made him work for her lips. She moved her hands to cup his neck, pushing it towards hers and forcing his body to follow suit. He smiled into the kiss.

_What a minx._

_~:~:~:~:~:~_

They stared down at the small house.

The plan was simple, really.

One person snuck in, obviously the sneakier one, and then the other(s) would be watch-out.

Their wands were charmed so that if one saw trouble on either end, they said a simple spell and were immediately Apparated to the safe house.

But it wouldn't be necessary. This plan had been months in the making, even before the mudblood became a pureblood. Who was she to think it was all over?

It was never over, and they were going to prove it.

May the Dark Lord's reign live on forever.

~:~:~:~:~:

**Curious, right? I decided to add that little bit in for a hint about the big problem about to hit Hermione! Poor girl, but there's gotta be a plot somewhere!**

**Please review and tell me how im doing, I would love some insight! **

**Also, leave a review if you have a guess about what the "big problem" is going to be, and I will dedicate the next chapter to the closest guess! Thanks!**

**With love, **

**~Terra**


	15. Chapter 15: Day with Harry Potter

**Hello, everyone! Isn't summer wonderful? Well, to me it is! More time to write!**

**Here are a few links for later in the chapter, just so you can imagine it better while reading. I know I can't write without a clear image!**

**This isn't how I imagine Hermione looking, nor is she as tan as this model but the dress marked "1" is the dress I imagine Hermione wearing when she meets Harry for the day.**

j . imagehost 0662 / summer_sundresses_yellow_071410 . png

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**Aaaaand this is Harry's car, a Maybach, the cars I am ABSOLUTELY IN LOVE WITH, though have no chance of getting. Lovely car, check out the interior after you enjoy the gorgeousness of the exterior.**

www . thesupercars wp-content / uploads / 2007/07 / maybach-exelero . jpg

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**~:~:~:~:~

They made their way down to the small house. They had gone over the plan two more times before proceeding. Everything needed to be perfect. If they were caught, the mudblood would come running back to protect them.

They were honestly surprised she had just left them in the first place.

Just because the mudblood became a pureblood doesn't mean these filthy people weren't forgotten.

What the dirty mudblood _did _wasn't forgotten.

Or, more specifically, who she had helped.

The lock clicked open.

~:~:~:~:~

Hermione sat in her living room, tapping her foot with annoyance at the lateness of her friend.

When she got home last night from her date with Draco, and after a very heated kiss, she went to her room to find Hedwig with a note between her beak. She nearly ran to the window, happily taking the note from the owl and getting her some water to drink.

She eagerly tore the wax seal, embroidered with a lightning bolt and a calligraphy "H", and read the note excitedly.

_Dear Hermione,_

_Hey. How are you?_

_Well, I would first like to apologize for the lateness of this letter. Your whole… situation… gave me a bit of a shock, but I think it's about time I see my best friend again. I was wondering if we could hang out tomorrow. I know it is a bit of a late notice, but I feel really guilty for ignoring you. And, yes Hermione, I will also apologize in person._

This made Hermione laugh. She had always been against sending notes and all that rubbish. Back in fifth year Harry had debated sending Cho Chang a note to ask her out, but Hermione had slapped that idea out of play the very second after. She continued reading.

_Anyways, send a reply with Hedwig as soon as you get this, I hope to see you tomorrow._

_Sincerely,_

_Harry Potter_

Hermione had quickly penned a reply of acceptance and sent it off with Hedwig. She had asked he come to her house to get her at noon so she could properly introduce him to her brother.

She wasn't really sure what type of relationship the two of them had, from what she knew they had never talked before, but with Harry's old opinion of Draco and Teddy being his friend, she wasn't sure if Harry looked at her sibling highly.

So here she was, sitting on the coach impatiently with Teddy sitting across from her with a book and a pen, something he had learned to love when he had discovered it was much more portable than a quill and ink bottle.

Finally, at ten minutes passed noon, the doorbell to the mansion rang out. She happily jumped to her feet, then shot Teddy a look that said _stay put. _

Teddy had been nervous when Hermione had first told him she wanted to introduce him to the famed Harry Potter. At first he declined, even though it was never an offer. He knew as well as she had that Harry could dislike him on the spot and cause controversy for Hermione.

Theodore thought that if he stayed away from Potter, Potter would stay away from him and all would be well for her; her friends and her family two separate worlds. But Hermione wouldn't stand for this, even after he explained his thought process. Hermione was sure Harry would overlook past views on other Hogwarts students after the war. Or at least she hoped.

"Harry!" she exclaimed as she threw her arms around his neck. He instantly hugged her waist, laughing at her happy greeting.

"Hey, 'Mione" He said, pulling back and giving her a huge smile. He was dressed in dark jeans, nicely off-settled by a white collared shirt with the sleeves stylishly rolled up to his biceps. His tan skin and dark hair were showcased perfectly.

"Did Ginny help dress you?" She giggled. Harry was never one for fashion sense, and this smart outfit wasn't something he would just throw on. Harry blushed.

"Well, you know Ginny. Loves her fashion 'n stuff", he mumbled, but he still had a smile on his face. Hermione could tell he was thinking of his crazy redheaded witch he cherished so deeply.

She smiled as well, making a mental note to also have a get-together with Ginny. Sure, they weren't best friends, but she was still important enough to talk to.

And with her being in a amazing relationship, having another teenage girl to talk to would be nice.

After the ice-breaker, Hermione pulled Harry into the house, her manners ignored in the presence of her best friend.

She chattered on about how much she missed him and how happy she was that he was here, pulling him by the hand to the living room to meet Teddy. Harry only chuckled and nodded his head when she looked back at him.

When they entered the living room, Teddy had followed his sister's orders and stayed in his seat, his eyes still following the sentences of his book. When Hermione called his name, he looked up nervously, setting his novel aside and rising.

Hermione smiled widely at the boys.

"Teddy, this is Harry, my best friend. Harry, this is Theodore, my brother."

She introduced them to each other with confidence and pride, like she was showing one boy that she was proud to know the other. Harry was the first to step forward.

"Nice to meet you, Theodore", he said in a monotone voice. He stuck his hand toward Teddy.

Teddy took it with confidence, thrusting his chin into the air. He could sense Harry was just as nervous as he was, and that helped his mood. He never liked being on uncharted territory, especially alone, and know at least he knew he wasn't the only one here to please Hermione.

"Likewise, Mr. Potter", he said in his deep voice. All the sudden, all Hermione could see was a well-bred pureblood standing in front of her. Theodore had on a pair of comfortable slacks with a belt and a white T-shirt he had tucked in, his collared shirt was hanging on the back of a chair from when he took it off upon his arrival back home. His hair was perfectly styled from his meeting with old friends earlier in the day. He looked exactly what a pureblood should look like.

Nerves attacked her stomach. What if Harry saw this too? Would he think Hermione had changed into a copy? Hermione herself had her hair in low messy bun, wearing a neon yellow sundress that ran down to her mid-thigh. A "U" between the cups was embroidered with exotic beads, and a halter strap intersected in the front to spin around her neck. **(Picture link at the top)** She had paired it with leather beaded bracelets and a pair of cream collared Toms wedges.

She had thought that this was a very summer-y outfit, but did the over-the-top bright dress emphasize her new tan too much? Or did her new muggle shoes look too pompous?

Hermione was not unused to feeling self-conscience, obviously, but it was never because she thought she was too _pretty. _

During her internal debate, Harry and Teddy had started talking.

"Please, Harry is fine. Only those damn reporters call me Mr. Potter, and trust me, you don't want to see how I respond to them sometimes."

Theodore chuckled.

"I would assume you would not do anything extreme. You seem to be very laid-back."

Harry raised an eyebrow playfully. Theodore shrugged.

"I tend to be observant, and being that you do not seem to mind the past between us, I assume it is forgotten."

Harry nodded.

"Fair observation. Yes, to be honest the farthest I've gone is shooting a stunner at a wall to freak out some Rita Skeeter wannabe."

Both of the boys laughed quietly, both also realizing the other wasn't as bad as the one they had created in their minds.

"There is one thing you forgot in your observation, however" Harry joked, looking like he was about to start laughing again.

"And what is that?" Teddy asked skeptically, but his eyes glinted good-naturedly.

"I'm one hell of a Quidditch player", Harry laughed, and Teddy joined in.

The students of Hogwarts all knew of Harry Potter's legendary Quidditch skills as a seeker. He could always be seen playing with local kids around Wizarding London, laughing and giving hopeful seekers advice about locating the Golden Snitch. It was known he had bought the Quidditch pitch new balls and brooms to replace the old, worn-out ones the park had previously had.

At the sound of the merry laughter, Hermione snapped out of her reverie and drank in the sight in front of her. Her best friend… and her brother… were getting along.

A smile broke out of her face. _Yes!_

She then smirked. Boys and Quidditch.

"Hate to be rude, but we should go Harry. I have to be back for dinner at 5!"

"Right, of course. It was nice to meet you, Theodore" Harry held out his hand again, and Theodore took it happily.

"Just leave it at Theo, it will be a lot less awkward for us all", he laughed. Harry stepped back and Hermione gave Teddy a hug.

"Good job", she whispered in his ear, so Harry couldn't here.

"Anything for my sister", he said sarcastically.

The duo headed out the door. Hermione took one look at Harry's car and rolled her eyes. _Of course _a war hero would have a big expensive car.

"A Maybach?"

Something that might surprise one about Hermione Grang… Nott… Granger… whatever, was that she _loved _cars. Mr. Granger, Hermione grudgingly thought, had a knack for cars, and had passed on his hobby to his daughter. Hermione didn't make it wide known, it was a personal interest, but she knew a one hundred thousand dollar German made car when she saw one. **(pic link at top). **

Harry laughed.

"Only the best", he joked, even though Hermione knew he was modest.

Once Harry had turned 18, the muggle coming of age, a representative from a bank in London had found Harry at Grimmauld Place. The representative was in fact a middle aged wizard, and Lily Potter had left behind a muggle inheritance for him when he turned 18, where he got all his Wizarding inheritance when he was 17, the Wizard coming of age. Along with the handsome paycheck the ministry dealt out to all three of the triad, one could call Harry Potter a millionaire. Shocking, I know.

Hermione got into the comfortable car, enjoying the luxury of such a vehicle, and relaxed as the hum of engine carried them away for a day.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~

The first thing Harry did was take her to the public Quidditch pitch. He knew she didn't like to fly, and she voiced her concern, but he had brought her there for another reason.

She followed him into the pitch and laughed merrily at all the children hanging out there. From the looks of it, the oldest there was maybe 17, a little younger than she and Harry, and little ones ran around with each other, or holding hands with older siblings. It was almost muggle, if it wasn't for the overcrowd of flying kids in the air yelling over a quaffle.

But it took a matter of seconds for the kids to recognize Harry Potter.

"HARRY!" Many screamed, the whole park seeming to head toward the entrance. Harry laughed, and took Hermione's hand, walking her through the crowd to somewhere, she wasn't sure. _Why did he bring me here? _

Harry ruffled boys' hair and shook hands with the macho 12-year-olds, happily saying hello to anyone who offered the same to him. Then, someone asked;

"Hey, is that Hermione Granger?"

The kids seemed to notice her, all starting to talk and get her attention at the same time. She laughed and mimicked Harry, walking next to him and saying hello.

Eventually, being that they weren't really going anywhere, Hermione's curious side took over her.

"Why did you bring me here?" She asked in a light voice, not that she was disappointed, but truly curious.

He looked at her with a smile.

"The kids here always say they want to meet all three of us, but since Ron hasn't been seen lately, I thought I'd bring you anyway."

Hermione laughed, kissing Harry's cheek much to the happiness of the crowd, loving that her best friend was so thoughtful. She was happy to be here for these kids.

But what he said really bothered her.

_What does he mean Ron hasn't been seen lately? He showed up to my house the other day, why hasn't he seen Harry?_

The train of thought was quickly pulled away as the others became overwhelming. She let Harry pull her along.

Harry introduced her to many kids who he knew by name, all of them seeming ecstatic to see two of the trio, like it was their wildest dream to ever meet the people who defeated the Dark Lord.

At that thought, Hermione understood. _They must think their standing in the presence of royalty, _she joked to herself.

She was pulled around by her friend, making many new ones as she went along. Eventually, they were asked if they would play the next Quidditch game a little.

"Come on, Harry, it will be short!" A 15-year-old by the name of Louis begged them, his made-up team pouting behind him.

"Sorry guys, I don't fly", Hermione quickly denied, watching as the whole team of boys turned to look at her. A few boys' mouths dropped, she didn't know why though. Harry laughed and leaned over.

"I think you have some admirers, Hermione", he chuckled, and Hermione blushed, waving jokily at the boys. They blushed.

"Go on, Harry, you can play for a bit. It's only twelve thirty, playing for twenty minutes won't be a problem", Hermione assured, watching as he gave in to his peers and ran off with the cheering boys, leaving Hermione with his collared shirt. She want sure if he honestly didn't want to ruin it, or he subconsciously like to play around with the girls in the vicinity, showing off his defined stomach and muscles. She giggled.

Hermione took a seat on the first row of bleachers on the sides. The pitch wasn't like Hogwarts' very much; it was more like a soccer stadium, with the field in the middle and bleachers rising on every side. A little girl about the age of 11 came to sit by her nervously. Hermione smiled.

"Why hello there! I'm Hermione", she extended her arm to the girl, watching as she uncertainly took it, like she might break the heroine and get in trouble.

"I'm Lyla", she said quietly, a pretty blush taking over her face.

"Nice to meet you, Lyla", Hermione said in a calm voice, wanting the girl to know she was really just human like her. She could talk to her like anyone else here.

"It is okay if I call you Hermione, Ms. Granger?" Lyla asked shyly, not looking at her.

"Of course it is, Lyla", Hermione said happily, using the girl's name to try and make her feel like this wasn't some speech she had planned for every fan. This was personal.

"Okay, Hermione", Lyla said in a still quiet but happy voice. She turned more toward Hermione, but still didn't look at her face.

"You know, I am muggle-born too", Lyla told her, blushing again like she was embarrassed to be talking to a hero.

Hermione froze.

_WHAT! What do I do, im not a muggle-born anymore! She got up her courage to say she looks up to me, well, at least that's what I'm getting out of this, and I can't accept it!_

"Umm… yes, that is… cool. Though you should know blood status doesn't matter anymore. All anyone cares about is that we all practice magic, that is the most important thing."

_Way ta go, Hermione! Good one! _

Lyla smiled and nodded.

"What house are you in, Lyla?"

"Ravenclaw", Lyla said, more loudly than her other responses. This was something she must have been comfortable talking about. "I am third academically in my year." She said with her head held high.

_There's a Ravenclaw. Always proud of her academics._

Hermione continued talking with Lyla, but the two problems that faced her now were trying desperately to push themselves to the front.

What would change in her life now that she was in fact pureblood, after she went to such lengths to prove muggle-borns were equals?

And, why hadn't Ron been out lately? It had been about two weeks since the fair where she had seen him with Harry, had he really been away from everyone, except _her_, for that long?

Finally, Harry showed up and ended her reverie. Her brain was starting to hurt anyway.

She got in the car and waved to kids as she drove away.

~:~:~:~:~:~

Next, Harry took her to Diagon Alley, a place Hermione assumed he would take her. Harry wasn't that original, though the pitch was a bit of a surprise.

They went through the Leaky Cauldron, saying hi to Tom, who was still working since Harry first met him when he was 11, and continued to the back. Harry took out his wand and tapped the correct bricks for a door to appear in the wall.

Hermione smiled and pulled Harry through behind her. They walked down the alley.

It wasn't very crowded since there weren't hundreds of students rushing around to get there supplies, but for the middle of June, it looked rather vacant. And by that, she meant they could walk down the lane with a small bubble of space without bumping into someone. Still crowded, just no comparison to other times.

Harry first took her to a the ice cream parlor, letting herself splurge and get two scoops of her favorite ice cream there, Tea Cake.

They continued down the street with their ice cream and laughed as they talked.

Neither of the friends was aware of the stares they were getting from the people that passed. Everyone was in awe of the two teenagers, even though it had been a month or so. The teens were like pop stars walking the streets, the stories of the triad were still being passed around.

Hermione's favorite was the one about a love triangle between the three. Sure, she had always had a liking of Ron prior to this year, but the thought was ridiculous. That's what made her laugh.

It was common knowledge that Harry was the hero, Hermione was the brain, and Ron was the muscle.

Next, Harry took her somewhere surprising. Harry ushered her into Eeylops Owl Emporium & Magical Menagerie. She looked at him curiously.

"Why did you bring me here?" She asked, looking around at the owl hanging from the ceiling and an employee helping a young couple look at a tabby cat.

"Well, I know how Crookshanks ran away during the war—"

Hermione looked down sadly, remembering the ugly cat she still sometimes cried over.

"So I decided I am going to get you a new one", he finished happily, but a nervous glint was in his eye. He had been anxious to get to this part of his planned day to see her reaction. She had talked about her missing cat a lot, so he knew she would like him back, but he wasn't sure if she would want a _new _one. Then, Hermione smiled.

"I never even thought about it, Harry, but now that I am, I think it's an excellent idea!" She said merrily, hugging his neck before dashing off to look at the many cages under to sign "Cats".

Harry followed her to look at the various breeds, denying her idea of getting a Siamese cat, saying he would never come visit her if that creepy thing was lurking around, said that he would personally shave the White Persian cat if she got it, and urged her to buy the tabby cat that he liked, though the cat didn't like Hermione at all.

Then, Harry heard Hermione gasp.

"That's the one!" she excitedly exclaimed, pulling him to the cage at the end of the aisle, occupied with a tiny black kitten. Once the kitten heard the noise, it looked up and Hermione with the bluest of eyes and purred. Hermione happily told Harry to get the employee.

Harry took the honor of buying the precious kitten for her, saying that whenever she looked at it, it would remind her of her best friend. Harry insisted they leave the cat there for the day, so they wouldn't have to carry it, and would grab it on their way out.

"So what are you going to name it?"

"I have no idea."

Harry playfully put a finger on his chin, like he was thinking. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You know, Harry is one great name…"

"Right. One, do you know how absolutely confusing that would be when you were over? And two, the cat is a girl, oh great one", Hermione giggled, laughing even harder when Harry started to blush.

Lastly, Harry took her to Flourish & Blotts, where he promised he had something special to show her. He opened the door for her, and she stepped inside. She gasped, only for her moment of surprise to be snapped up by a camera.

In front of her was a crowd of people; press, from the looks of the cameras, reporters, and… fans? As Hermione looked around, she saw both teenage boys and girls, screaming when they saw her and Harry, and some of them had on T-shirts with her and Harry on them. A group of 4 or 5 girls had on matching shirts with the picture made famous by Rita Skeeter of Harry and Hermione moving to hug each other taken back in 4th year.

"What is going on?" Hermione whispered to Harry urgently, but still trying to smile. They had figured out from the week after the battle that not smiling at the cameras was a bad idea. Don't ask.

But after a while, the paparazzi had died down, so why were they all here?

"That's what I wanted to show you", Harry smiled, genuinely, at her, and started pulling her to the back of the store through the crowd. He explained quietly in her ear on the walk. "Well, you remember how you would write down every spell and tip you thought would help me during the battle?"

Hermione solemnly nodded, glad that he remembered all her help and hard work, but never liked to remember the war, even if it was a two months ago. Harry continued.

"I kept every one of them. I even kept the notes we wrote back and forth about what potions and spells would be best to teach the D.A., and which ones we should learn, those ones, you remember? So I took all of them, and…"

Harry pulled them through the last bit of the crowd, right in front of a table, stacked with books on it. One book.

Hermione picked a copy up, amazed at the front cover.

"_How It Happened: A Step-By-Step Guide on How Harry Potter Defeated the Dark Lord, By: Harry Potter and Hermione Granger_", she said in amazement, all of Harry's word coming together. She looked at Harry.

"You kept all that gibberish I gave you?" She said happily, with tears in her eyes.

"It was gibberish, clearly", he laughed, reaching out for a hug. Hermione flew into his arms, and was momentarily blinded by all the cameras that went off because of it.

Harry lead her to the back of the table, where there were two chairs waiting for them. Harry quickly explained how he planned a press conference and book signing for the release of the book. She just smiled and nodded, glad she was getting attention for all the hard work that she actually put into the whole thing; she didn't just stand next to Harry and look pretty.

The first thing the employees told them would happen was they would sign copies of books for the fans there- Hermione got giddy at the word _fans, _finding it hard to believe that people actually look up to her as a role model. She was honored- so that the store would be less crowded for the press conference. They would close the store after the fans inside got their copies signed, and then reopen the store after the conference was over for another hour of signing.

Girl after boy after girl swarmed the table, greedily starting conversations with the two. Quite a few of them said they were actually at the Battle of Hogwarts, and these people got the addresses of the two to send owls to. Both Harry and Hermione were happy to talk with anyone who fought beside them.

After an hour, the crowd had thinned and chairs were conjured in front of the table. Reporters took the seats, instructing their photographers were to stand to get the best pictures.

The employee who was assigned to stand by the table, Clark, finally calmed everybody down and announced that the famed Harry Potter and Hermione Granger would now answer questions.

All of them immediately raised their polished hands, eagerly calling their names, vying for the heroes' attention.

Hermione looked at Harry expectantly, eventually being her school self and irritably whispering "Pick one!"

Harry shook his head quickly, like trying to wake up and picked a petite Chinese woman in the front row wearing a prim and proper deep purple dress with a matching jacket. She stood up with an overenthusiastic smile.

"Eleanor Chen, Witch Weekly. Why did you feel the need to write a book about the Dark Lord's defeat when it easily could have been passed around orally?"

Questions like this went on for a while, Harry and Hermione taking turns picking reporters and usually answering the questions for their chosen journalist.

Then, Hermione made a mistake.

She picked a seemingly Rita Skeeter look-alike, a brunette with her hair in big, poufy ringlets and a too tight dress with feathers circling the bottom. She stood up with an almost evil glint in her eyes.

"Romilda Vane, Daily Prophet. I do hope you remember me, especially you, Harry."

Realization hit the two, and Harry blushed at the memory of the chocolates she sent him two years prior. They bowed their heads in acknowledgment.

"Well, my question addresses Ms. Granger, or can I call you that?"

With that last statement, Hermione knew the train wreck about to happen. Her eyes widened and the evil smile Romilda was now sporting.

"I was recently informed by an anonymous source that the once Muggle-Born extraordinaire is in fact a pureblood descendant of the acclaimed Nott family. Is this, in fact, true?"

A dead silence overtook the room, the constant but quiet hum dying immediately at the news. All Hermione could hear were gasps and pens scratching away at notepads, the full pages turning at a rapid pace.

Hermione looked at Harry worriedly, but he looked exactly the same. _At least I know he didn't tell_, she reasoned, but she still had no idea what to do. The way Romilda had put it, it was like she knew the whole time she was saying she was proud to be muggle-born, she knew she never was. This made her angry, and without even thinking, she snapped.

"It is true, but I had never known prior to about a month ago", she said in a deadly calm voice, knowing Romilda was trying to get a good reaction to make the news an even bigger deal. Her words seemed to bring everyone back to reality, the cameras flashed even more than before, and the other journalists immediately raised their hands, talking again to try and get her attention. _This is going to be _everywhere _by tomorrow, _Hermione thought glumly. She hated being in the limelight, especially for something as stupid as blood purity. She had tried so hard to stop the social statuses, but this would throw her whole campaign out the window.

Hermione shushed them with an evil glare, and continued her speech.

"My birth parents, William and Phaedra Nott, recently found out I was a long-lost daughter of theirs, having initially believed I had died at birth. I was sent to live with my adopted parents, hoping never to be discovered. When I was, I happily embraced by birth family and am content with my new life. I plan on changing nothing except my address", she finished calmly, giving Romilda the most evil glare she could manage. _Maybe Draco really had rubbed off on me. _

Just at the thought of her boyfriend, she calmed down, thinking of his beautiful smile, his silky hair, his magical lips…

She looked at a clock. Only two more hours.

With Hermione lost in her own thoughts and the reporters going wild, Harry elbowed her in the ribs, not sure what to do. She shook her head and an angry twist in her lips came back to life at the memory of where she was.

"I think we're done here", she said to the employee, who nodded and went to open the doors again for them to leave.

This made an even bigger commotion, the reporters rushing forward to try and get last words. Questions were thrown at Hermione but she remained tight lipped… until Vane hit a nerve _again_.

"Are you and Ronald Weasley still together through this tough time?"

Hermione's head swiveled around to the journalists, all the others quieting at once. Curses she could use on this tosser were flying through Hermione's head, but she felt Harry's hand rest on top of hers in a silent plea to calm down.

"Ronald Weasley and I were never dating, and never will be. I have no interest in him other that a friend, and if your ridiculous gossip column reads anything else, you _will _be sorry", Hermione growled, another quality she believed she picked up from Draco.

The reporters backed off at the sound, and at the insistence of the staff, left the bookstore with promises of amazing reviews for the book.

Hermione sighed and hid her face in her hands. Harry started to rub her upper back in a different attempt to get her calm.

"We can leave", he suggested quietly. Hermione shook her head.

"They are gone and have their story anyway. I would like to see if any more people from the battle come to see us", Hermione said, even though she wanted nothing more than to run home and cuddle with her new cat. Harry nodded, knowing she was lying through her teeth, but stayed anyway, signaling Clark to open the front doors for the waiting crowd.

~:~:~:~:~:~

The hour passed by quickly, and Hermione's hand was starting to cramp. There were only 20 or so books left, so she thought she could do it.

She looked over to see how Harry was doing. She saw he was taking a very long time on each autograph. _Probably trying to make it legible, _she joked with herself, but with a shock realized, _he's writing with his left hand._

Why was he writing with that hand? He was right-handed… she noticed his right hand was lying very numbly on the table, holding the book steady for him. But as she watched, he used his left hand to move the book form under with arm, close it, and hand it to the excited teenage girl. He grabbed the next one that Hermione had already signed and shoved the book under his arm for evenness.

_What is going on?_

~:~:~:~:~

They finally managed to escape, having a few requests to also sign employees' books, and then Hermione grabbed a copy for herself.

She asked Harry questions about the guide on their way back through Diagon Alley to pick up her cat and go back through the pub.

But once they reached the safety of his car, she roughly grabbed his right hand and examined it.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" Harry said through his teeth. She was almost positive it was from pain. Then she saw his skin glimmer for a second, before looking normal again.

She quickly took out her wand from her back and easily removed the Glamour charm he had on his arm. The results made her gasp.

His arm was purple and blue, and seemed to have doubled in size. She looked up at him seriously.

"What happened? And don't you dare lie to me, Harry Potter", she snarled, still holding his arm.

"I was attacked this morning", he said instantly, as if he knew she was going to ask that question. Really, who wouldn't?

She looked at him expectantly, as if saying _that's not it, keep going._

Harry sighed.

"You know how I've been staying at Grimmauld Place? I woke up later than I wanted to this morning, you know me, and I guess this person thought I was gone or something, but I came out of my room to go get some coffee downstairs when I heard a noise from the drawing room. You know how I use that desk all the time. So I went in there, and there was someone in all black going through the drawers."

At this, Hermione's head started working. Ok, so the person was in all black… why didn't they just use magic to conceal themselves? Was the attacker a muggle?

"When the guy saw me, he pulled out his wand and shot a curse at me."

Ok, so not a muggle.

"I managed to dodge it, but it hit my arm. I dropped my wand on the ground, and since my right hand was not working, I had a bit of a struggle trying to pick it up with my left hand. By then, the guy was running down the hallway to the door. I decided to use Snape's old spell, Sectemsepra…"

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. They had all made a deal when they found out about the spell that only they would use it during the war, because if the Death Eaters got a hold of it… yeah. But they agreed not to use it since it was difficult to cure.

"I know, I know, but I was thinking fast. I thought that this guy would have to go to the hospital to get them cured, so I could go back after I dropped you off and try and find him. Smart thinking on my part, I believe!" He finished, having an almost smug face on. Hermione tried to find a flaw in his plan, but actually found it pretty smart. She sighed.

"Why didn't _you _go to the hospital? You have no idea what you were hit with and you still can't use it!"

"Yeah, well…" Harry blushed slightly, "Ginny was over… so she gave me some potion for the pain after I…" He blushed harder, "Well, I really wanted to come see you, and I was running late already, so I decided I'd get it fixed later when I went to try and find the guy." He ended quickly.

Hermione sighed, knowing he was waiting for her to yell at him for being so stupid. Instead, she leaned over and hugged him.

"Thank you", she said softly. Then she pulled back. "Do you know what these people were looking for?"

"No, actually," Harry thought for a second. "I think… I think the guy left with papers in his hand…" Harry's face blanched. "He took some of my papers!"

He seemed to be really freaked out.

"What was in that desk, Harry?"

"All the spells you gave me for war! I put together the books at that desk!"

Hermione's face darkened.

"Harry…"

"I know." He said, chewing the inside of his cheek nervously. He looked at her. She recognized the look. It was the look he constantly gave her at Hogwarts, the one that begged her to know the answer. But this was one thing she just didn't know.

She shook her head sadly, silently telling him just that.

He sighed.

"I better get you back, it's a quarter to five", he said.

They started driving, both thinking hard.

Then… all the tension was let out when Hermione's black cat suddenly jumped on her lap, causing her to scream.

Harry's car came to a hard stop, before he realized what the problem was.

"Wasn't the cat in the…"

"Cage?"

They looked at each other, and then busted out laughing.

Just what they needed. The cat curled up in Hermione's lap and they laughed, Harry getting the car in motion again.

They tension broke then, and they discussed getting together again. Hermione suggested doing something in the muggle world, like go to the movie theater. Harry agreed.

They pulled into her circular driveway at five till. Harry walked her to the door and gave her a huge hug.

"I had a lotta fun, 'Mione", he said, pulling back and smiling.

"Me too, but we'll see how our book reviews are tomorrow", she joked.

Harry smiled again, kissing her cheek and promising to owl her about another playdate. She giggled at the word.

"And you better be heading to St. Mungos!"

She watched him drive off, and then hurriedly realized the Malfoys would there in half an hour, and she had a _lot _of preparing to do.

~:~:~:~:~

**So I decided to put in a little friendly fluff in there, and get some facts down for future chapters.**

_**Foreshadowing? **_**Yes, yes indeed.**

**There was supposed to be more to this chapter, but it got a little too long too fast, so they will just be split up. SO the next chappy might be a little short, but I hope this long one makes up for it.**

**So the **_**Big Problem **_**will happen next chapter. **

**Till then, TTFN!**

**~Terra **


	16. Chapter 16: Playing with Draco

**List of Changed Details-**

** war **_**did **_**happen. Harry won, story is now set about two months after the fact. In 1998.**

**~Fred is alive. I like him. **

**2. In this story, all students are required to go back to Hogwarts to redo the seventh year. The Ministry and the school believe this is a vital year for their future careers. I will have dialogue in the future to further explain their schooling.**

**3. Crookshanks disappeared during the war, never to be seen again.**

**4. I changed the Nott family crest from a badger to a bear. The badger is the crest of Hufflepuff, so I didn't really want that to correspond. Also, I felt the bear is more symbolic to the story.**

**5. Ginny didn't cheat on Harry. I truly adore this couple, and I plan on using Ginny in the future, so I now decree that Harry is happily in love with Ginny!**

**6. Previously, the story said Hermione was turning 17 come her birthday in September, but I changed it to 18 for the sake of them all being more mature… and I **_**think **_**that is the correct dating anyway.**

**7. Just in case anyone was confused about it, Hermione is at the point with her parents right now where she feels comfortable calling them mother and father, but won't go as far as using mum and dad. She will occasionally call them William and Phaedra, but it will only be in very serious situations, possibly when she feels alone or segregated.**

**THESE DETAILS WILL BE DELETED IN TWO WEEKS! So write them down, don't, use your photographic memory, etc.! I will copy them though, so I could also just PM you the list! Ask nicely!**

**~:~:~:~:~:~**

**So , like I said last chappy, this one will be kind of short being that the other was so long AND supposed to have all this info in it. Hopefully I can update again soon, till then, enjoy!**

**Pic for Hermione's dinner dress**

www . promgirl shop / dresses / viewitem-PD782551

(erase thirteen spaces before entering)

~:~:~:~:~:~

An Auror duo approached the scene. The Ministry had sent them here, saying that they were to get passed the muggle police and find a witch by the name of Penelope Hadley, who would be standing by on the right side of the scene, awaiting them.

The only information they were given was that the people dead were important.

The men spotted Penelope immediately; it seemed as if she was the only one on the right side, with all the action taking place on the left. They moved towards her.

"Hello, I presume you are Ms. Hadley?"

"That's me", the young witch said in a tired voice.

"I am Auror Jackson, and this is Auror White. I assume you have already been informed we are here for answers, so I hope you don't mind if I skip any preliminaries. We were told to get in and out with as much information as possible to avoid attention."

"I understand", Penelope confirmed, nodding her head and awaiting the first question.

"One," Auror White started, seeming to be the questionnaire while Jackson pulled out a notepad and quill, taking notes the muggle way. "Why was the Ministry brought into this?"

Penelope answered immediately, having already anticipated the question.

"I come over every other day for coffee with these folks; they say I remind them of their daughter or something, I never really listen. I was the one who called in the police. They have already questioned me, but while that was happening, I managed to hear a sort of doctor, a medical exmner, or something, say that she couldn't find any kind of way they could have died. It was like there was nothing wrong with them. She suggested they could have been poisoned, but once I heard that, and remembered their last names, the whole thing clicked. This couple was killed by magic."

After this, Penelope couldn't tell them much. She hadn't discovered the bodies, having called the police after twenty minutes of trying to get the house-owner's attention, then deciding something was wrong. She told them that the muggles had all the information about the middle-aged couple.

Using the side of their duster jackets to hide their wands, they transfigured their Auror badges into muggle ones, then flashed the emblem to get on the other side of the muggle tape, approaching the bodies, lying on the floor. They could have been sleeping.

White split from his partner to get a report on the scene from a nearby cop, leaving Jackson to check the area for any traces of magic left behind and confirm the couple was killed with the Unforgivable curse.

He quickly established the latter with a flick of his wand, and with this information, set off to look through the house and try and find any magic waves or wand codes from any point in the house. He started upstairs, and, finding nothing, went downstairs.

Jackson's wand began to vibrate, meaning it was picking of magic waves, he walked toward the back door, were the wand made a _click _noise to symbolize this is what it detected. Jackson validated that this must have been were the murderer entered the house from, using the simple _Alohamora _spell to enter the house. So the couple were clearly muggles. Then why were they here?

He pushed the question aside, knowing if he and his partner were here, it was obviously important.

He recast the spell and searched around for more waves, finding another spot 10 feet away from the couple were he concluded the murderer had cast the killing curse. And from the way the bodies were laying, they had been looking right at 'im. The sick bastard.

Right after he finished his notes on his notepad, White came running up to him with a blanched face. Papers, assumedly the report of the case, were clutched in his hand. Jackson awaited his news, knowing from the look on his long-time partner's face that something big had just happened.

Wordlessly, he handed over the papers, watching his associate look over the papers. Jackson found nothing that stuck out, seeing the usual report; no entry point, no stab wounds, both male and female in healthy condition. He looked up at his partner questionably.

"Read the names", White said in a monotone voice, waiting to see Jackson's reaction.

Jackson flipped back to the front page and found the square containing the names. He read them, and nothing significant popped into his mind. What was this? A hoax?

He briefly read over the couple's information, opening his mouth to make a witty comment to his partner, when it connected.

He could feel the color draining from his face. He looked up at his partner worriedly.

"You mean…"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean."

"You think that is…"

"I know that is. That is them. We have to report back to the Ministry immediately, no one can hear about this."

Without another word, they speed walked around a vacant corner and Apparated away.

~:~:~:~:~:~

Hermione passed the kitchen and saw a couple house elves running around, happily making dinner. She smiled and said hello to all of them, then continued her room.

She heard classical music flowing out of Teddy's room, so she decided not to stop by, he got kind of angry when she interrupted his piano sessions.

She rushed into her room and set everything up. First she ran to the bathroom and set up a little temporary living area for her unnamed kitten. She decided to put her in the huge bathtub, hoping that would hold her. Hermione put a down a blanket, a bowl of water, and decided to throw in one of her little teddy bear for the kitten to play with. She called for a house elf to please bring some shredded fish for it, thinking that would work until she could get actual cat food.

Sighing, and looking at her acceptable kitty-playpen, she put down her cat and pet her on the head. The cat purred, and immediately bee-lined for the blanket. Sighing again, Hermione began to get ready.

She was still pretty clean, so she decided she would just take a shower after dinner instead of wasting time now.

First she sat down at her vanity and wiped off the light makeup she had had on for the day. She had reasoned that her best friend probably didn't want to see her with a caked face and ruby red lips to match. She laughed at the thought, knowing she would never do that anyway.

Taking a bit of time, she carefully put on her makeup; a thin layer of foundation, pretty pink blush, black as night mascara, and sparkling silver eye-shadow. She would take care of her lips later.

She danced to her closet, excited at the thought of her pretty dress. She knew Draco would like it. It was one of those dresses that played the innocent yet dirty roll at the same time.

She pulled out the right dress and laid it on her bed, then ran to get the strappy silver peep toe heels she had to match with it. She was ready to put it on.

She shed her yellow dress, and put on the white one.

It was a white strapless party dress. The upper half was kind of like a corset, with a sweetheart neckline that made her breast look teasingly huge and appear as if they are about to spill out. The corset was covered in gem and bead decoration, very sparkly and flashy. Under the corset, the skirt flowed out in several layers, almost like a tutu. The layers were pure white, as well as the corset, though that was covered by décor. The white was what played the innocent part. The breast cups and short length- the dress only ran to her mid-thigh- was the dirty bit. Hermione loved it.

She stepped into her heels and quickly applied some shiny lip-gloss. Her last task was her hair.

She walked to her bathroom and stared at all the products. They stared back. She looked in the mirror and sighed, pulling the bobby pins and rubber band out of its messy bun and, liking the unintentional curls it had acquired, let her hair spill over her shoulder.

_Ready. _

Just then, she heard a knock on her door, then the door opening.

_Teddy. _

"'Mi, you ready?"

At his insistence, he had cut her nickname ('Mione) short to just 'Mi, saying it would be a special nickname for him. She had no objection, feeling closer to her brother.

"Yeah. Whaddya think?"

Teddy eyebrows rose.

"Trying to get someone's attention there, sissy?"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I think it is a very nice party dress, and the fact that it is a little short just so happens to be on my side." Hermione said matter-of-factly, but chuckled along with Teddy.

"Come on, it would be an honor for me to escort you down", Teddy joked, holding out his arm like a gentleman.

"Why thank you, brother dear", she laughed, accepting his arm and beginning to walk with him.

She noticed that even when she was 4 inches taller, Teddy still looked down at her. She sulked, knowing that Teddy and Draco were the same height. _Ugh. _

They got to the stairs, leisurely beginning to descend them.

At the bottom, the guests and their parents were talking and making their way to the dining room on the other side of the stairs. As they moved down, she saw Draco look up. His eye widened, and then glazed over, as if he were looking in a dream.

Draco looked like a dream himself, dressed in a stylishly smart outfit of white slacks and a black polo shirt with white lining. He paired it with polished black shoes and a brown belt. She also noticed he was wearing a pair of small, wire reading glasses set on the bridge of his nose. She had to admit she thought the glasses just made him all the more delectable. He looked exactly like someone a bookworm like herself could fall in love with. Albeit an _extremely _hot one.

Hermione giggled, looking down shyly. A few more steps and the siblings stood in front of the Malfoy heir.

Draco smiled widely at her, taking her hand and bowing, kissing it. He stood up and looked at her with appreciation.

"Exquisite dress, love. Where has this little number been hiding?" He joked, taking her arm with Teddy's approval, and leading her to the dining room.

Teddy trailed after them, not uncomfortable in the least. It was great his best friend and sister were getting on so well, a little _too _well, but well none the less.

"Well," Hermione replied in a joyful tone, "_this _little number had been waiting for such an occasion."

She giggled quietly, looking around to make sure the parents weren't nearby, then inched her mouth close to his ear.

"I find it will be a great turn-on knowing you are thinking…_ thoughts_ about me in a dining room filled with our parents. And you can't do anything about it."

Draco looked at her incredulously, shocked by the truth of his foretold future.

"You minx." He stated, then stifling a noise coming from his mouth and she bit his ear lobe before returning to her correct height. "Don't think this little stunt will go unpunished, love. It is _on _now."

Hermione smiled happily.

"By the way", she said sweetly, stopping him and spinning herself in front of him to plant a kiss on his lips, "I _love _the glasses. _Sexy_." she whispered sultrily.

Draco blushed, quickly removing his reading glasses and shoving them in his pocket.

"Sorry, I was… uhm… I was reading before we came, and I forgot to take them off," he mumbled. Hermione smiled and took hold of his arm again, pulling them toward the dining room.

Draco pulled out a chair for her; being cliché and pushing it back in before taking a seat next to her.

_Bad idea, _Hermione amusedly thought.

Once everyone was seated, salads were served as preliminaries.

Draco was about to take a drink of his white wine, something he was only allowed to enjoy at such dinners and parties, when he felt a warm hand land on his mid-thigh.

He stopped, knowing exactly where this was going. He continued slowly and took a drink, setting the flute down swiftly but carefully. He risked a sidelong look at Hermione, who was using her other hand to eat, seeming to not know her hand was traveling toward…

Draco's hand quickly covered his mouth, trying to hide the groan he desperately wanted to let out. He let the table support his elbow, making the movement look like he was rubbing his face, trying to act tired to make the action credible.

Hermione's hand stared to knead his package, and Draco's hand followed suit of his other, hiding away his traitorous mouth.

Hermione had a pull at the side of her lips at the sight of him, letting the tug take over her mouth, resulting in a soft smile that could have been mistaken as humor from the story her father was telling. But Draco knew she was enjoying her torture of him.

Just as his length began to solidly harden, the doorbell rang through the house. Everyone looked up. Phaedra and William looked expectantly at their children, not having intentions of leaving their guests.

"I got it", Teddy sighed, standing up elegantly and heading toward the doorway out of the dining room and into the atrium.

Hermione hand was still for a moment, being that the parents were more aware of their surroundings then before. But they quickly went back to their debate about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher possibilities rumored to start this year at Hogwarts.

Hermione promptly continued where she left off, walking her finger up and down his solidifying length.

But Teddy quickly reentered the room, the disturbed look on his face getting everyone's attention. He looked very worried.

"Theodore, dear, what's wrong?" His mother asked, standing from her chair. Teddy gulped and looked at Hermione.

"There are two Aurors here, and they are asking for Hermione." He quickly explained. Hermione breathed, thinking it could have been something much worse. In order not to freak anybody out, being that there _were _previous Death Eaters in the room, she stood slowly and confidently, her brilliant mind making up an excuse on the spot.

"I am sure it has something to with the war", she said with a calming voice, hoping her expectantly true assumption would be believable. Hell, even she believed it. Why else would they be here? "I will return quickly, sorry for the disturbance, but it is still fairly recent."

She bowed her head and followed Teddy out. She did quickly peck Draco on the cheek, much to the amusement of the adults. Teddy led her to the living room, where two men were seated comfortably in chairs, accepting glasses of wine from two little house elves, who happily trotted out of the room.

Hermione made her presence known.

"Hello, gentlemen", she greeted in a kind voice, watching as they saw her entering and stood to meet her.

"Hello, Miss Granger. I am Emmett Jackson and this is my partner, Smith White."

Hermione bowed her head and indicated for them to sit, making her way to the coach. She realized Teddy was making his way out of the room.

"Oh, Teddy, wait a sec. Auror Jackson, I don't mean to be rude but how long will this talk take? We have dinner guests over and I would like them to start eating without me if this will take long", Hermione smiled, hoping they would understand she sincerely wasn't trying to be impolite.

The Aurors looked at each other nervously.

"Mr. Nott?" Jackson asked.

"Yes, Theodore is fine", Theo responded, wondering why he was being called.

"Theodore is family of yours?" White spoke, deciding not to look the gift horse in the mouth.

"Yes, Theodore is my brother", Hermione replied, her thought process on the same train as Teddy's.

Jackson nodded. He had become aware of Hermione's dilemma upon his return to the Ministry, her current address having been changed by her parents.

"He might want to stay", White said in monotone.

Teddy looked skeptical, but quickly walked to sit next to Hermione.

Hermione was very nervous now. What was going on? She grabbed Teddy's hand, just for comfort. She stared at the Aurors.

Now, White and Jackson had been partners for quite some time. They had managed to watch each other's back in the second war, having joined the department 5 years prior. They were used to breaking news like this, but breaking news like this to a war heroine proved to be much harder.

Jackson, after the look on White's face said he wasn't talking, sighed. He looked Hermione Granger in the eye.

"Jean and Charles Granger were found dead this morning."

~:~:~:~:~:~

**Ok, so not as short as I anticipated, but there you go.**

**Hermione was a little OOC, but I think that she is really stepping out of her shell when it comes to her beau, so I find it credible. Hope ya don't mind.**

**Hope this is meeting everyone's expectations, I am über happy to be writing this story for you!**

**Loves,**

**~Terra**


	17. Chapter 17: The Letter

Tears leaked out her eyes, but her face remained straight. She felt like someone just dealt the toughest blow to the chest. Her heart ached, like it couldn't get enough air.

"We are very sorry for your losses", Auror White sympathized. Hermione look at him through glassy eyes, nodding shakily in acknowledgement.

Teddy seemed to have frozen at her side. Sure, he didn't know the Grangers that well, but they were family to his sister; her parents! It felt like he had just lost close friends. He squeezed Hermione hand tightly. That was all it took to push her over.

A loud sob ripped out of her throat. Her hand immediately shot to her mouth to try and stifle the sound.

"All we know at the moment is that Charles and Jean were murdered by way of the Killing Curse", White continued softly. "The bodies were found in the kitchen of their home in Australia. The murderers got in through a backdoor unlocked by the _Alohamora _charm. Unfortunately, that is all the information I can release."

Just as he finished, Draco appeared in the doorway, slightly gasping like he had run from the dining room. Hermione stood, tears still in her eyes. Behind Draco her birth parents and the Malfoys became visible.

Another sob left her mouth. Draco hurriedly rushed to her, embracing her in a hug. She squeezed him back and buried her face in his shoulder, her gasps and cries being muffled by the fabric of his polo.

Phaedra shuffled forward, as if to comfort her daughter, but was stopped by William putting his hands on her shoulders and pulling her against his chest. She cringed as Hermione sobbed again, then looked at the standing Aurors with a questioning gaze and a strained smile.

"What is going on?" She said in a high-pitched, clipped voice that clearly told Jackson and his partner if they didn't explain quickly, she would have their jobs with a snap of her elegant French manicured fingers.

The duo rushed to the side of the parents, quickly clarifying the situation.

Hermione's heart thumped warningly. She couldn't hear the words again, she just couldn't. She cried out, and started to sink down. Draco maneuvered her so that she landed on the coach. He was forced to go with her, being that her arms were still around his shoulders. He took a knee, returning his arms to her waist.

Teddy sat, still motionless next to them, just watching the scene unfold before him. His sister was heartbroken in the arms of his best friend. His mother had just collapsed into her husband's arms, her movie-worthy sobs echoing through the contradictory light and breezy living room. Lucius Malfoy had put his arm around his wife's midsection, Narcissa had her mouth slightly agape, as if she were still processing that her best friend's daughter had just lost her adoptive parents, the people she and her family had hated the first instant they heard of Hermione Granger.

Draco kissed Hermione's neck, whispering to try and calm her down. Once she heard the reaction of her mother, she had calmed down slightly, only letting out loud cries when necessary instead of intentionally trying to close out the noises of the cold, hard truth.

Her parents were dead.

She didn't care that they weren't her birth parents, they had raised her. Charles and Jean Granger had given a random child room and board, food, and love for 17 years. She loved them.

And they were gone.

~:~:~:~

Hermione sat on her bed, her black kitten sitting in her lap, and the vicinity of her large bed covered in blankets, pillows, and tissues.

Hermione's eyes were dry and bloodshot, and even if she could, she didn't want to cry anymore. She knew her complexion was currently suffering for it, but she also remembered her parents words from her younger years; "Don't cry, Hermione, don't cry. It may hurt now, but in the end it will make you a better person, crying only makes it a sad event instead of an occasion that helped shape you. We love you, Hermione, just please don't cry."

Hermione shook her head, knowing that this event would definitely _shape _her future self. In her parents' eyes, every event, like being reprehended or falling off your bike, helped you become smarter and wiser. No crying, they said, it is always a good thing. Hermione loved the optimistic outlook. In a way, every little fall or everything she did wrong had helped her grow into the responsible and careful person she was today.

But she doesn't want to be responsible anymore. She wants to be a child again and curl up to her mum and cry her eyes out like she was never able to. But she knew that wasn't the case. Right now, she had to stick with her cat.

Hermione looked down at her kitten, and pet her fur affectionately. After she had gotten back in her room following the news, she had picked up her cat and named her Alexis, her mother's middle name. She decided later she would call her Lexi for short, just so it would still be kind of different from her mum. She liked it.

A knock came from her door. She sniffled, then frowned slightly. The first day when her family had tried to talk to her, she had sent them away, saying she'll come when she's ready. Three days ago. They hadn't bothered her since.

"I said I'll come down soon, Teddy", she yelled pitifully. She knew she was taking a 1/3 chance, but she thought Teddy was the most comfortable around her. Another knock.

"Look, Teddy, I just need some time", Hermione said in a quiet voice. She didn't expect the reply.

"It's not Teddy", a deep voice spoke. Her head snapped up. She knew that voice all too well. Hermione carefully slid Lexi off her lap and stealthily walked to the door. She pressed her forehead against the door in contemplation.

He had sent her owl after owl ever since that night, pleading with her to let him see her, or asking her to come to him, anything, he had said. She only replied with one owl; "Later. Thank you for the support." She knew it wasn't fair, but she just wanted a few days were she could be selfish and wallow in self-pity and not care what other people thought. Especially him.

"Hermione?" He called tentatively. She could hear him putting his hand on the doorknob.

"Draco?" She whispered.

She heard a relieved sigh.

"Yes. It's me, love."

A cry slipped out of her throat as she threw open the door and enveloped Draco in a hug. His warm arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to his inviting body.

Hermione had promised herself she wouldn't cry again, and she wanted to stick to her vow. All she could manage was hiccups and dramatic cries as she willed the tears to stay where they belonged.

Draco stroked her back and rubbed his cheek against her hair, trying desperately to soothe her. She started taking deep breaths to calm herself, and it seemed to be working. She had no idea Draco could get this reaction out of her. The moment she held him in her arms, Hermione knew she had been ridiculous to push him away. Draco would have done nothing but help her, not judge her. It was all her. She had done this, and she promised then and there she would never push Draco away again.

Her boyfriend pulled away from her, but only slightly. He tenderly cupped her face with his large hands and gave her a weak smile.

Hermione returned the genuine smile. She brushed her fingers along his bottom lip, then took his hand in a weak embrace, pulling him into her room. He followed her inside.

Using her wand, she quickly cleared her bed of all the nasty tissues and black cat fur. Hermione led him there, where she sat cross-legged by her pillows, pulling the multiple covers over her legs. She pulled Draco one more time to make him sit on the duvet next to her. They sat in silence for awhile, just taking in each other's long awaited presence. But quiet laughs soon filled her room when Lexi took al liking to the blonde, licking his hand before stomping onto his lap. Hermione watched with a big smile on her face as Draco scratched the kitten's ears and smoothed his hand over her fur. Just the sweet act of it made Draco look so appealing. She leaned over toward him, catching his attention. She leaned forward even more, as did he, while she closed her eyes.

Their lips met, and fireworks went off. Hermione had no idea how she had gone this long without the sensation of Draco's kiss. How his lips moved erotically against hers, or how one of his hands moved to lightly brush the hair away from her face, or even how he angled his hips toward her, giving her all his attention. She couldn't ask for more.

Her purring cat broke the romantic moment, gaining back her attention by pushing against Draco's stomach and making noises. Hermione grinned and scratched her kitten's ear. Draco's focus never wavered, he was mesmerized by his girlfriend's sad, yet beautiful face.

Still beautiful. Her hair was a mess, like she had run her finger through it, pulled it, cried in it. Her face looked raw, like a newborn. Her gorgeous brown eyes had a red outline. Beautiful.

"Hermione", he whispered delicately, like he was speaking a forbidden word.

She slowly looked at him, her eyes blank. She knew whatever he would ask, she would answer.

"Will you please come downstairs? Your family is very worried about you."

Hermione let out a short sigh of relief. That question was much better than the one she had expected from him.

"Draco…" she sighed, not sure how to answer that. She had no idea how her family thought of her now. "I-"

Draco's mouth covered Hermione's, effectively cutting her off. She responded, but pulled back with a pleasantly confused face. He smiled at her, then cautiously took her hand and pulled her up, much in the same fashion she had with him moments before. She yanked back reluctantly, but he again pushed his lips to hers and kept tugging. He grabbed her discarded robe off of the floor and positioned it over her thin tank top and fluffy pajama short-shorts.

He stayed by her side their entire walk, aware that she gripped his hand tightly and kept her eyes on the ground.

Draco knew that Hermione's family were in the kitchen, with the appearance of making brunch, but were actually waiting for the arrival of Hermione.

Teddy was eager to see if his plan had worked. He had noticed how Hermione had been using their mother's owl, Nyx, a lot since the murders. He wasn't sure what she was doing, but in his studies of her post he also noticed Draco's owl frequently among them. He knew why she was avoiding his calls, same as he had once before with his mother. Hermione didn't want to disappoint him. That's why she needed to see him.

Draco had initially been very weary and nervous about the idea, using the ignored mail as an excuse. But Theo had been one of his only friends in school, still was. He owed it to Theo, but more so, he owed it to his girl.

Hermione walked through the arch doorway, stopping at the sight of her family.

They all stared back; Teddy closed his book, William noisily put down the plates of food he had been carrying, and Phaedra's arms fell from retrieving drinking glasses from out of a cabinet.

Hermione slowly pulled Draco into the kitchen with a small smile. Phaedra's dramatic cry split through the room as she ran to her daughter and wrapped her in a hug. Hermione released her boyfriend's hand to hug her mother back. It was that moment she knew how much Phaedra meant to her.

"I love you, mother", she whispered in her ear. Another dramatic sob left Phaedra's mouth at the proclamation. Teddy rose from his chair to do the same to his sister, squeezing her tightly.

Hermione walked to the other side of the island, where her father was standing with wet eyes and the display. She hugged his and repeated her earlier statement to her father. He smiled.

"I love you too, Hermione."

Draco's heart clenched. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to admit his love for his girl, but he needed to make sure of these feelings. This was _not _something he could just throw out. He'd write it down later, and enjoy his long-awaited time with Hermione now.

He sat in a seat next to Teddy, and was pleasantly surprised when Hermione hopped onto his lap, leaning back into him. Draco blushed lightly, quickly looking at her family for murderous looks. He got none, like this was normal. They treated his like real family already.

Draco wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling his nose into her neck lovingly.

~:~:~:~:~

All the owls Teddy had seen had been Hermione arranging her adoptive parents' funeral.

She had special coffins crafted out of oak trees from a local park they used to take her to as a child. Hermione had loved climbing those trees, but she also felt it represented her past life being put to rest. Her new life now officially began.

Hermione, her family, and several people Hermione kind of knew were chatting around the Granger's old house in England. Hermione figured most of their friends and family were in England, it would be easier for them to attend. Of course she invited friends they had made in Australia according to the contact book her mom always kept. Reporters had shown up, muggles at first, then Wizards and Witches began to appear, begging for insight on what was happening. Hermione immediately called Aurors Jackson and White, as instructed, who had shooed them away, saying Ms. Granger-Nott, as she was now known to the media, would come out and explain when she was ready.

Hermione didn't know if she'd ever be ready.

She looked around at all the faces. Each and every one of them had offered their condolences, but she knew few of them meant it. She barely knew these people, save the Notts and Harry, bless him, so why would they feel sorry for a girl they didn't know?

Hermione was an only child, as a Granger, just like her father. Her mum only had one brother, who gave Hermione two cousins to play with as a child, but had moved away to America for a new experience. Her grandparents had stopped by, but her father's parents had left quickly after seeing their son, being that they had never been close. Her maternal grandparents, her favorites naturally, were still walking around, offering and accepting stories of their daughter. They knew Hermione had gone to live with her birth family, and because of their snippy attitudes and avoidance of her and the Notts, she took it they weren't happy about it.

So Hermione sat in a big comfy chair next to her family, watching people greedily accept free drinks and talk about the most recent sporting events like they weren't at a funeral.

Or maybe Hermione was just paranoid.

Draco was running late, for which he had apologized most sincerely for via owl, not explaining his reasoning though.

Out of boredom, Hermione excused herself to the ladies' room, grabbing her clutch and practically ran.

Hermione shut the door behind her, leaning against it and let out a deep sigh. She shoved the surface and turned toward the full length mirror hanging on the door. She smoothed her hands over her little black dress, feeling the intricate design of lace underneath her fingers. The dress fell to her knees, sleeved to her elbows, and hugged her figure splendidly. She had showered in her special citrus scented bath washes Jean had given her, then left her hair in the resulting mass of curls. She felt like she owed it to the deceased to pretend like she was how she used to be.

Hermione moved to the sink, then opened her purse to pull out whatever she could get her hands on.

She fluffed her curls, applied more lip shine, put her hair in a bun, took it down, reasserted her wallet, flipped through her pocket sized pictures, then reasserted all the contents perfectly back into the clutch. Hermione stared in the mirror at her reflection, anything to avoid going back into that boring and depressing room.

Someone knocked on her door. Hermione sighed, then unlocked the knob and threw open the door dramatically. A shocking sight was presented to her.

"Ginny?" Hermione squealed. The redhead nodded enthusiastically, giving her friend an award-winning smile. Hermione was crashed into by Ginny, smiling surprisingly, and standing still for a few moments before realizing she was being hugged.

"Hey Hermione! I am _so _sorry I haven't seen you lately, I feel so bad! I promise I'll be a better friend, I promise! I am so sorry, Hermione, really sorry!"

Hermione released a dramatic laugh, engulfing Ginny in a bear-hug of her own. As previously stated, Ginny wasn't one of her closest friends, but just the sight of her made Hermione happy.

"It's alright, Gin, I promise!" Hermione told her. Ginny pulled back and grabbed her hand, holding it to her heart.

"I know I haven't been there lately, Hermione, but please, know you can tell me anything. I'm here for you, girl." Hermione sniffled happily.

"Thank you, Ginny. Thanks for coming."

Ginny smiled and started pulling Hermione back through her childhood home. Without Hermione's notice, Ginny led her to Harry… who was arguing with Ginny's redheaded brother.

"Ron!" Ginny hissed, using her remaining hand to loop her arm through Harry's and intertwining their fingers.

"It's nothing, Gin", Harry said quickly, pulling Ginny behind him as if trying to anger Ron.

Still, Ginny stared disapprovingly at her brother. Hermione got the feeling Ginny had talked about this behavior with Ron, and he had just broken a weakly-made promise.

"Why don't you and Harry go get a drink, Ginny, I've needed to talk to Ron for a while now."

Ginny looked at Hermione for reassurance, then nodded before pulling Harry behind her. Harry made sure to kiss Hermione's cheek before walking off. Hermione faced Ron. He had a faux blank look on his face, looking anywhere but his bushy-haired friend.

"Ron, what are you doing here?" Hermione exclaimed, exasperated. Ron looked at her sharply.

"I came to pay my respects to your _parents, _Hermione." She could hear the emphasis on the word _parents_. Who wouldn't, he made it obvious enough. He must still be hung up on their argument.

"Thank you, Ronald," Hermione sighed sarcastically. She noticed his angry expression. "If you really care, you can try your best to _not _cause chaos at this funeral."

Something in Ron's eyes snapped.

"Oh, so now you can't even call them your parents? Hermione, the Notts are not your family! The dead people in the caskets are your parents, Harry and Ginny and Fred and George are your siblings, and I am the love of your life, Hermione! Why don't you get that?"

Hermione stood gob-stopped, eyes wide and lips parted. She felt her eyes begin to water. She could tell he was about to continue, but a body stepped in front of hers, taking her hand and blocking the redhead from her view in the process.

"What do _you _want, Malfoy?" Ron growled at the tall blonde. Draco smiled evilly.

"Just looking out for my girlfriend, Weasley, not that you would know anything about that."

Ron snarled, and in a fit of anger, threw a punch toward Draco's head.

Taking advantages if his excellent seeker skills, Draco quickly pushed Hermione to the side and dodged the fist. While Ron stumbled, Draco saw his opportunity. He balled up his hand and swung at Weasley's nose. A sickening _crack _of bone echoed through the room, as well as many gasps from the crowd.

Ron fell to the ground, arms flew above his head and his body rippled as it hit the floor. Hermione watched as the ground caused his shirt to slide up his stomach. Hermione gasped at what she saw.

White scars covered his abdomen, and as he rolled onto his stomach to cradle his broken nose, she saw the scars were even worse on his back.

Hermione stared with an open mouth, but Draco quickly straightened his jacket and put an arm around Hermione, steering her towards the door.

Hermione looked at Phaedra, silently asking if she could finish this for her. Her mother smiled and nodded, then motioned for the door.

As the retreating couple passed the refreshments table, Harry and Ginny quickly joined them toward the door.

"Hermione, I am so sorry! I promise—"

"It's alright, Gin", Hermione said automatically. Draco held open the door for her, then took her hand when he noticed Hermione's confused expression.

Hermione turned on Ginny, lightly putting her hands on her elbows to get her attention. Ginny looked at her skeptically.

"Ginny, how did Ron get all those scars?"

Ginny looked blankly at her. "What scars?"

Hermione bit her lip, then looked at Harry.

"Ron had scars all over his back and stomach. They looked just like scars from the—"

"The Sectemsepra curse", Harry finished with wide eyes. Draco's eyes also popped open, Hermione having told him all about her day with Harry.

Ginny spluttered.

"No, no! He's been in Romania all week with Charlie! He just got back last night and insisted on coming here when I was leaving this morning!"

"So the scars could have been from dragons?" Hermione guessed. Ginny nodded helplessly.

With the realization, Draco pulled Hermione to his chest, resting his chin on the crown of her head and smoothing his hand over the small of her back. Hermione leaned into him with a head full of questions and no source for answers.

What was happening?

~:~:~:~:~:~:~

"I'll grab some lunch then bring it up to your room, alright?" Draco told her softly. Hermione nodded with a smile, then pecked Draco's lips before walking toward the staircase.

The walk to her room seemed longer than usual, she wasn't sure why. The paintings of her ancestors stared down at her sadly, some of them offering her a quiet 'sorry' as she walked by.

She got to the small atrium leading to the doors of her and Teddy's room. Her guard shot up as she saw her door was ajar. She always closed her door when she left, it had been a habit she had had since she was little.

Hermione entered her room with caution, her wand at the ready. When nothing in her sight popped out, she said a few spells under her breath. Nothing. She was alone.

Hermione stepped into her room, looking around once more before pulling off her stuffy dress and pulling her hair into a high pony tail. Her matching golden leopard lingerie was the only thing that covered her body, not that she cared. Something else had caught her eye.

A pure white envelope shined from her desk, the paper so white Hermione couldn't believe she hadn't spotted it when she had first walked in. Hermione directed a couple new spells at it as well, then greedily picked it up to read her name in shining black ink; _Ms. Hermione Jean Granger-Nott_.

Hermione picked up her letter opener in the shape of the Sword of Gryffindor. The sound of ripping paper was loud in the quiet room. Hermione noticed that the parchment was very thick, thinking it rather odd. But it was easily shrugged off.

The parchment inside was only slightly bigger than a note card, the message on the paper a short, simple sentence.

_It isn't over. _

The choppy cursive look mean on the paper. Hermione knew what they were referring to. The arrival of the note had been well thought out, not immediately after the deaths, but still on an important enough day for the meaning to be clear. Her adoptive parents' deaths had been personal. It was meant for Hermione.

Hermione's face didn't show any emotion. The words floated around in her mind, playing with her senses, forming ideas. Her brain was at full speed.

_That's it_, it said. _If they want a fight, they got one_.

The rational side of Hermione, the Granger part, cautioned this, noting it could be dangerous and harmful to Hermione and her family. They had made that point painfully clear already. But her other half, the Nott half, she assumed, told her she had had enough adventure and danger under her belt by now to call herself experienced. She could handle this and show these bastards who was in charge.

Hermione looked up from her letter with a determined gleam in her eyes. _If these arses want a fight, bring it on._

The sound of footsteps reached her ears. Hermione immediately jumped for her desk drawer slowly yet quickly pulling it out, shoving the letter under a huge pile of homework and school books for the upcoming year. The drawer was closed in the same fashion, quickly and quietly.

Just as Hermione pulled on a robe, Draco lightly kicked open the door, a silver tray in his hands.

"Sorry it took a bit, I honestly wasn't sure what to get."

Hermione smiled, not knowing if it was genuine or not.

"I could probably eat anything right now," She joked, walking over to the small table set up in front of her window, sitting in the offered seat Draco had pulled out for her.

Draco sat across from her. They started to make light conversation, Draco joking about the new school year, pestering Hermione about her study habits. Hermione laughed along, but her mind was far away.

It was plotting its own revenge.

~:~:~:~:~

**Whether it was a review, follow, love, thanks for all the support!**

**~Terra**


	18. Chapter 18: The Mistake

**I dedicate this chapter to **_shaymars _**for giving me that extra push I needed to finish the chapter! School is starting soon, and I just got back from a long vacay, so sitting down and focusing was pretty hard! But I did it, and I hope this is a good chappy!**

~:~:~:~:~:~:~

"You did what?" Hermione asked the Auror duo in a disbelievingly calm voice. Her chest contracted at the thought of what had, apparently, just happened.

"The Ministry has just taken Lucius Malfoy into custody under suspicion of your adoptive parents' murders," Auror White repeated, seeming slightly confused about her reaction, along with his partner. He began to explain himself. "After the muggles were done with their investigation, we went in and found the wand signature by the door he used to get in the house. The bodies even had the signature lingering. It was quite obvious his wand committed the murders."

Hermione didn't know what to feel, but it wasn't relief, and it wasn't happiness, which were the only feelings she was looking for.

She had happened to be alone in the house at the arrival of the Aurors, but as they sat down, Teddy had walked through the door, coming from a night at Blaise Zabini's house. Teddy was sitting silently in an armchair, staring out in the window. He shared this quality with their father, Hermione had noticed, where when he was thinking, his left hand would slant over his mouth; chin resting in his palm, fingers under his left eye, and his thumb stroking his jawbone.

He angrily sat back in his chair and ruffled his hair, clearly frustrated with the situation. Lucius had come to be a friend to both of the teenagers, always being polite, especially to Hermione. They had no reason to believe he did this. But the Aurors clearly thought differently.

"Miss, you must understand, you _were _a heroine in the Great War, and he was a well-known Death Eater. This is very logical, "Auror Jackson tried to reason. Hermione noticed that both of them always addressed her as Miss, being that they weren't sure which last name she preferred. She wasn't sure, either.

"It is _not _logical," Hermione replied snippily. "Lucius Malfoy is considered a friend to all of my family, and he had no more reason to do this than my own father. I demand he be released immediately."

The Aurors looked at each other in exasperation. Auror White spoke.

"He is being held in the Department of Mysteries, where he will be contained until we have a trial."

Hermione stood angrily. Teddy would have laughed at how funny her face looked when twisted up like that, but she had a hell of reason to be looking that way. He stood along with his sister.

"Then take me there", Hermione said after a moment, realizing the Aurors weren't catching on to what she wanted. The Aurors stood at her evil glare, and immediately headed for the door. Teddy and Hermione were close behind.

"Only Aurors are allowed to Apparate directly into the Ministry, so we will have to do Side-Along Apparation, if you don't mind."

Hermione rolled her eyes. She knew this, who didn't?

"Yes, whatever is necessary. Let's go, please," she said tiredly. Auror Jackson offered his arm; Hermione grabbed a hold a saw Teddy taking a hold of White's wrist. A sickening feeling pooled in her stomach, but the feeling easily passed as her feet hit ground.

Hermione's Ugg boots that she had thrown on hadn't made that much of a noise in the dismal hall, but Teddy's dress shoes made a tapping sound along with the Aurors. The echo only creeped her out more. She really hated this place.

As they walked, Hermione suddenly felt self-conscious. This was the Ministry of Magic, and she had on skinny jeans and a gray sweater over a stylish white blouse. Not exactly nice enough for a trip here, unlike smartly dressed Teddy with his nice, respectable looking jeans and a long sleeve shirt pulled over a collared shirt. He always looked… smart.

Hermione sighed exasperatedly, but stopped short when a young platinum blonde came into her view.

"Draco," she sighed out semi-happily. Then she remembered the only reason he would be here was because…

Draco met her halfway down the hall and engulfed her in a hug.

"He didn't do it, Hermione, I promise. He was at the Manor, I'm sure of it! A house-elf would have seen it and he had to have made _some _sort of noise, and mother is a light sleeper…"

"Oh, Draco, I know, I know. I don't believe for one second he did this," Hermione interjected, a look of relief momentarily washing over his face. Draco kissed her on the lips briefly, then took her hand and pulled her to the end of the hall, where he had been standing before. As they walked, Hermione noticed all the windows along the wall where viewing windows into rooms. They reached the end, and Hermione understood what they were for. Containment units for suspects.

Lucius Malfoy was sitting stiffly in a metal folding chair, somehow still managing to look as if he were sitting on a throne. But the infamous Malfoy indifference smirk was not on his face. His face was perfectly straight, and his eyes were out of focus, as if he were thinking intently. No one else was in the room. Narcissa was leaning against the far end of the window, sniveling quietly, but a cool look still captured her face. Hermione rushed over to her, taking her elegant hands in her own. Narcissa looked her in the eyes.

"You have nothing to worry about, Narcissa. I know it," Hermione promised her. Narcissa gave her a sad but hopeful smile, squeezing her hands in silent thanks. Auror White cleared his throat behind them.

"Miss, you cannot be certain of that. His wand signature was—"

"At the crime scene, I get it. But other than that, what evidence is there?" Hermione asked shrilly. She noticed Teddy had walked over to Draco, and had his hand on his shoulder in silent reassurance.

"A wand signature usually speaks for itself," Auror Jackson reasoned. Hermione was irritated now.

"Well, what is the plan? Are you going to make him sit there forever or are you going to do your job and find the real killer?" Hermione knew she was being very harsh and _very _out of character, but it seemed everything around her was falling down, and this was nearing the end of her straw.

The Aurors looked at each other. They both knew Hermione was taking this very badly, but unless they got her to press charges against him, they had to let him go. Both of them were convinced this was their guy.

Hermione's head snapped up, almost as if she had heard their thoughts.

"I request he be placed under the effects of Veritaserum to prove his innocence," she said quickly, like the thought was the loophole she had been missing. The Aurors nodded, knowing this was a reasonable demand.

"It could take more than an hour before we can begin," Auror White explained, "We have to wait for a Department of Mysteries official is available, and this is very short-notice. We will try our best."

They both turned and walked away.

Hermione and Teddy switched places, Teddy walking over to comfort his second mother. Hermione took Draco in her arms again.

"This is a nightmare," she whispered somberly. Draco gave a light smile.

"It will all be over soon, Granger," he promised weakly, but Hermione accepted it.

"When did you become so great at Divination, Malfoy?" She joked calmly. He chuckled.

"Well you wouldn't know, now would you? What a quitter."

Hermione pulled back with a smile. Everything was going to be alright.

It had to be.

~:~:~:~:~:~

Auror Jackson threw the manila folder onto the table in front of Lucius. He clearly had the posterior of the bad cop, even though Hermione imagined him as the good one, because White didn't seem that type at all. Hermione also thought they didn't bother to clarify with each other. So two bad cops. Great.

"You were given the Veritaserum approximately 30 minutes ago, correct?" He asked outright. Lucius nodded.

"Correct," he answered politely.

"We are going to ask simple questions to confirm. What is your name?"

"Lucius Hyperion Malfoy."

"Where did you attend school?"

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizarding. I was sorted into the Slytherin House."

Jackson nodded.

"Where were you on Monday, July 15 at approximately 12 o' clock at night?"

"I was sleeping in my bedroom with my wife at Malfoy Manor."

White wrote it down, making sure to add they needed to ask Mrs. Malfoy and staff about the alibi. Jackson nodded and looked at his notes for more questions.

"Were you aware that on Monday night, Charles and Jean Granger were going to be murdered in their home?"

"I was not. I did not even know where they lived."

"Were you aware they were going to be murdered otherwise?"

Lucius seemed to think about his answer, staying silent with a cool exterior.

"At this time, no. But there was a plot about a year ago during the Great War to eliminate them because of their daughter, Hermione. It was never carried out, the plot was not high on the list at the time."

Auror Jackson continued his questioning.

Hermione had had her arms crossed, standing in front of the viewing window with one foot crossed carelessly over the other. Warm arms enveloped her from behind, holding her like a blanket. Draco put his chin on the crown of her head.

It was comfort for both of them.

~:~:~:~:~:~

Draco collapsed into a chair in the Nott living room. That took way too long for the answer to have been apparent at the beginning of the interview. Bastards were thorough.

Hermione slowly sat on his lap, pulling her shins to rest against the arm rest and laying her head on his shoulder. Her eyes were glazed, as if she were still processing what just happened.

Teddy sat in a chair next to them. They had all gone back to the Nott Estate after Lucius had been rightfully released, meeting with Hermione's parents upon their arrival. The adults had retreated to the kitchen, no doubt breaking out the wine as well.

"Are you alright, love?" Draco asked her quietly. Teddy put his elbow on the armrest, then set his head on his fist, turning his head to the right to see Hermione and hear her answer. She nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine", Hermione sighed with a smile. She lifted her head up and smiled at Teddy.

"How are you doing, brother?" She asked melodramatically sober. He grinned sarcastically to her.

"I'm well, sister. Though I was expecting someone right—"

The doorbell rang. Teddy smiled again.

"That would be her."

He jumped up and bounded away, coming back moments later with Marilis on his arm. She was talking animatedly about something, possibly shoes from the description, but stopped in her tracks when her eyes landed on the chair.

Hermione's cheeks turned red as she realized what she must be seeing. She jumped off of Draco's lap and stood shakily.

"I'm sorry, Marilis, I didn't mean for anyone to see—"

"Draco!?" Marilis exclaimed happily, rushing past Hermione to give the standing Draco a bear hug. Hermione heard him laugh, "Marilis! How are you?"

Marilis excitedly jumped up and down.

"Better, now! Oh my gosh, Draco, I haven't seen you since fifth year the summer I came to visit! This is so great. What are you doing here?"

Draco smiled at her. Hermione was standing, slightly gobstopped. They knew each other?

"Well, Theo here is one of my best friends", Draco said. Marilis giggled, making eyes at Teddy.

"Mine too", she said, very obviously referring to their relationship. Teddy blushed nervously. She continued.

"And this is his… _little _sister, right?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows. Draco stopped for a second a confused smile slightly present on his face. Teddy also looked puzzled at her attitude, and replied.

"No, Marilis, Hermione is actually my older sister, by 11 months. "

"And, she's my girlfriend," Draco added, walking up behind Hermione to hug her shoulders. "I believe you've met Hermione Granger, now Nott?"

Marilis stared at her, almost… angered. But a fake smile was enough to fool the boys.

"Great! Just one big happy family," she replied sarcastically.

A dramatic scream came from the entrance of the living room. The teenagers turned to find Mrs. Malfoy with open arms and a rare happy smile. Marilis smiled.

"My darling girl! Where have you been, not visiting us anymore?"

"Terribly sorry, Mrs. Malfoy," Marilis joked. They hugged, both very excited to see the other. Mr. Malfoy embraced her in a light hug as well. Hermione liked this side of them.

Phaedra walked up next to Narcissa.

"Us girls can go prepare a late lunch for everyone. It's been a long day and we all need some nutrition!"

Hermione's face fell. She _hated _cooking. The kitchen was _not _where she belonged, contrary to popular belief. Draco noticed this, having also been aware.

William laughed happily.

"And I'm sure the men could use a hell of a drink!"

Lucius nodded along with him. He had been very quiet, not that it wasn't expected. Teddy followed behind his father. Hermione trudged behind the talking women.

"My dear girl, how long has it been?"

"Fifth year, Cissy! I miss that old house, the Manor. Yours was always such a castle compared to mine!"

"Oh, nonsense. You lived down the road, darling, castles are galore. I'm sure living in Beauxbaton is much more suitable for a girl of your caliber. Living in a palace!"

Hermione's brain automatically started to whirl.

_So, Marilis used to be a … neighbor. Yes, neighbor, who must have been over often enough to know of their large house. She is most likely rich as well, being she lived close-by the Malfoys and is attending Beauxbaton, which from what I've heard isn't cheap to attend. 30 galleons for one uniform? Ridiculous! She also must know them very well for Narcissa and Draco to react like tha—_

Hermione musings were cut off by Draco grabbing her hand. She heard his deep voice speaking, and shook her head to try and focus.

"…will be upstairs. Hermione has agreed to help me with some Charms spells I must know before the year starts. Call us when it is ready."

The adults bought the excuse, but Teddy smiled knowingly. He mouthed to Hermione, _Stay quiet. _Hermione understood the warning when they continued to the office for drinks. It was right under her room. She smiled at her brother.

Marilis looked… angry. Again. She spluttered for a moment, like trying to get the adults attention, but they were already off. And so was Draco. They leapt up the stairs and headed for Hermione's room.

"I don't think Marilis liked me very much," Hermione thought out loud. Draco chuckled.

"She is a true Slytherin. Doesn't like anyone until they have proven themselves. When we were children, she didn't talk to me for the first year we knew each other, but one day we were forced to play together, and I offered her my training broom."

Draco laughed again.

"She rather liked me after that."

Hermione smiled. _I wander what Teddy did…_

"But let's talk about something else."

Draco swooped Hermione up in his arms and smashed his lips against hers. Hermione squeaked happily, doing a quick look around the hallway before responding.

Her bedroom door was pushed open and Hermione was lain down on the bed. She immediately sat up and tugged at his shirt. It was thrown to the ground, and then Draco crawled over Hermione.

They kissed slowly and thoroughly, just enjoying their alone time. Hermione's hands began to trace Draco's abs, her feather-light touches causing Draco to moan.

Hermione was very happy in her current situation, but she couldn't help but feel… guilty. Her parents just died, and his father was just blamed for it, and they were entertaining themselves.

Draco pulled back with a _smack _of their lips, straightening his elbows to look down at Hermione.

"What's wrong?" He asked sincerely. She debated if she should tell him, or just pull him back to her. But she knew the latter wouldn't help any.

"We shouldn't be doing this right now," she replied unhappily. Draco brushed her hair behind her ear, buying himself some seconds to think.

"I'm not going to ask why, because I'm sure that I know," he stalled. "But you shouldn't feel guilty about something like this. You'd be doing this even if they were alive, and they would expect that of you. You can't be afraid of disappointing them, and I know it's not my place, but you need to continue to live your life, because knowing you, they would never be disappointed by you."

He continued caressing her cheek, letting her think the words over. It didn't take long before she pulled him lips back to hers. She laughed happily between their speedy kisses, happier than before.

He was right, one hundred percent right. She really liked Draco, didn't want to go as far as love yet, but knew she didn't want to have to walk on eggshells their whole relationship. The Grangers knew she was in a relationship, so they should have expected her to get intimate with him.

And she was happy.

Draco's stomach flexed against her, and the sensation made her gasp in surprise. His mouth greedily moved to her neck, his lips pulling in all the skin it could get to. He found a certain spot right under her jaw that made her squirm under him, so he sucked. Hard.

A blissful yell echoed through the room, and Teddy's warning flew back into her head. Even though it was extremely difficult, Hermione's hand managed to find her wand on the bedside table. A mumble left her mouth, and apparently was enough. Power surged through her body, as it did whenever she used magic.

Then her hands moved to his light hair, knotting itself in it. Draco bit down on her sweet spot and caused her to yell again. After he was certain a dark spot was forming there, he began to move his lips down.

Hermione's hands help guide him, pushing more at spots, like the dip in her neck, her collarbone.

Draco pushed down the straps of her blouse and lacy bra, her sweater having been taken off upon their arrival at the house. Her neckline fell as he pulled, and his mouth followed the trail. His tongue ran up the valley of her breasts. The act was so erotic to Hermione, her moan coming out hoarsely. Her hands ran through his hair as his mouth teased the sides of her breasts.

Breathy moans and little laughs were boasting from Hermione's mouth. There was nothing better in the world right now than Draco. With a surge of his hips, his hard length rubbed against her, and she moaned loudly as she realized he was as turned on as she was.

"Dray…Dray…" Hermione kept trying to say, but only the first syllable of his name was making an appearance. Draco moaned.

"I like that nickname. It'll be only for you to use," he spoke against her breast. Hermione laughed breathlessly.

"Yeah," she nodded. That was the best she had at the moment.

Not that the moment lasted long.

"OH MY—"

The couples head immediately swiveled to the door to find Marilis covering her mouth. Her eyes were wide as she saw what had been happening.

"Dear God, not again," Draco whispered.

"At least she's the last one of them," Hermione replied, causing Draco to chuckle. Marilis looked taken aback that they were laughing at this moment. She moaned irritably.

"Drake, sweetie, get yourselves in line, because I doubt your parents are interested in seeing… this. Lunch is ready."

She slammed the door behind her.

Hermione pulled up her straps and helped Draco slip into his long sleeved shirt.

"Does she always call you sweetie?" Hermione asked lightly, trying to make conversation. Draco smiled.

"Why, jealous?"

"Not in the least", Hermione smiled, leaning in for a kiss. Before things got to heavy, she pushed Draco away and hopped off the bed. "You go ahead, I'll be down in a moment," Hermione told him as she walked toward the bathroom.

"Not too long, darling," he said sarcastically before exiting the room.

Hermione did as she was told and quickly fixed her hair and makeup, washed her hands, before heading back into her room. She did a quick sweep of the room before heading to the door.

As her hand touched the knob, she stopped.

Slowly turning on her heel, her eyes zeroed in on her writing desk. The white parchment stood out against the dark wood of the desk. Hermione guessed it had been delivered during Lucius' interrogation.

The miniature Sword Of Gryffindor cut the paper, and the tiny note was in her hand in seconds. This note was longer, but still left a sinking hole in her stomach.

_We're watching them. No one is safe._

Hermione's eyes watered. Watching… her family? She couldn't bare the thought. She had no idea what she had done, but it had already gotten Jean and Charles killed, where they going after Phaedra and William next? And Teddy?

A quiet sob left her mouth at the thought, but luckily the _Muffliato _charm was still up. A few tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes as they read the choppy writing again and again. Hermione's resolution was again set in place.

_This son of a bitch needs to know his place. This is __**not **__ok. That… bastard!_

Hermione calmly and quietly put the letter with the other one, under old books and papers. She went to the bathroom quickly to clear her eyes, then walked out her door.

**~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~**

**I love you all!**

**~Terra**


	19. Chapter 19: Discovery

Hermione's wand illuminated a blue light over her dark cherry wood desk. The paper she had in her hand did nothing irregular, the thick parchment and shining black ink glaring back at her. The wand's light went out, leaving the room in darkness again.

"Damn," she groaned to herself, closing her eyes to think. She had been at this all night, ever since the second note had reached her.

Once she had gone back downstairs, Draco had noticed a change in her demeanor, and had asked what was wrong. Hermione had kindly told him she was just tired from the day's ordeal. She had excused herself from the people in her house, and had locked her bedroom door behind her. She wasn't coming out until she had a destination in mind.

It was now two in the morning, and her brain was fried. School books were open and strewn everywhere, turned to pages with spells she had thought would help her. They kind of had. She had an idea of what she was supposed to be doing to try and find the location of the mysterious sender, but the spells needed more juice to give her a reasonable lead.

Hermione sighed again, running her hand through her hair. She looked down at the paper, and mentally slapped herself as she realized the lights were still off. The bright light of her desk lamp made her squint, but she quickly focused on the page. Staring, hoping something would pop up, give her _something _to go off of.

The paper started to crinkle as she held onto it too tight. Hermione slowly but angrily rolled her thumbs off of the paper. With shock, Hermione picked up her wand and whispered under her breath.

The ink on the page glowed a vibrant blue. A smile curled onto her face. This was a charm she had learned in 6th year. It was originally meant for simpler reasons, to find out where they could buy the ink or something. Hermione was sure the explanation was in her notes somewhere, but right now she didn't care. The blue glow told her that the place this ink was made in England, but the _light _blue could tell Hermione the exact place, and that was the beauty of magic.

Hermione rushed to the other side of the room, shuffling through notes and books, trying to find a map. No luck. Her head snapped up as she remembered one hanging on the wall.

She though opened her bedroom door and ran into Teddy's room.

Ignoring her sleeping brother, she illuminated her wand and ran to the map of Great Britain he had hanging on his wall. She mumbled her previous spell under her breath, and watched as a small section of the map glowed the same vibrant blue. A loud, happy laugh echoed through his room.

Teddy stirred in his sleep. The first thing that hit him was the bright light near him. He covered his bleary and tired eyes with his arm, then the high-pitched shriek of a laugh made him cringe.

"Fuck," he mumbled under his breath, trying to get his eyes to focus so he could see what was happening. The wild brown hair told him Hermione was there, her wand lighting up his room.

"Fuck it," he repeated, sitting up on his mattress. "Mi, what the hell are you doing?"

Hermione whipped her head around to look at him, the name of the city on her lips. She continued to whisper it to herself as she ran out of his room. Teddy stared after her.

Both he and his parents had noticed how she had locked herself in her room, and they had all been prepared to give her, her space. Their conclusion was that opening the wound of her parents' deaths again would cause her to retract for a second time. Yet she was running around his room in the middle of the night? Teddy rolled out of his bed, clad in only pajama pants, and stalked towards his sister's bedroom.

Hermione sprinted toward her desk, the name 'Hayfield' playing over and over in her mind. Hayfield, a city only 45 five minutes away. That's where the ink was made. The origins must have been based off of a material there, causing the ink to be so shiny. Hermione knew it had to have been expensive ink for it to have come from such a small town, and the thickness of the parchment was now adding up. The paper.

Hermione gasped happily, realizing that the parchment must have been from the same area, being that the thicker the paper the more expensive. The cities around Hayfield were all wealthy living styles, finding these products would be easy to get. They lived there. That's where they were.

Hermione the notes in her hands, staring at them with a smile. She got them; it would be easy to find them. It was a tight-knit community, she was sure of it.

Teddy walked into her room slowly, seeing Hermione's outline standing in the darkness of her room.

The tiny lamp on her desk was on, and her bed looked untouched. Her brother put two-and-two together pretty quick.

"Hermione, what are you doing?"

Hermione whipped around.

"Theodore," she breathed, pulling the notes behind her back. Not fast enough though. Teddy walked toward her stealthily to stand in front of her. She looked up with a blank face, not giving away anything. Definitely a Nott.

Teddy used his left hand to reach for the papers, causing her to twitch to the right. His right hand quickly pulled the papers out of her hands and he took a step back. He didn't read them.

"Why are you hiding these from me?" He asked, pointedly holding them against his leg, where he couldn't see them. He was trying to convince Hermione she could trust him. She knew this, but it was too big a risk to tell him. He didn't need to know.

With her silence as an answer, Teddy displayed to tiny notes to his eyes, quickly reading both of them. Hermione mouth opened, as if she were about to yell at him, but from the look he was giving her, she knew it would be useless.

He knew.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Theodore asked in a cracked voice. He couldn't believe what she had been enduring, what he and their parents had been enduring without their knowledge. Hermione finally answered his question.

"It is between me and him, he murdered _my _parents. It has nothing to do with you."

"He's watching us, Hermione!" Teddy exclaimed. "It has everything to do with _me. _This bastard is threatening you with _me. _With our _parents_. You should have come to us!"

"And what if they freaked out and killed us all?" Hermione shot back, her face clearly sketching her frustration. "I could have done it! I could have figured it out! I'm Hermione fuckin' Granger, I'm a heroine of war, and I am the brightest witch of our age! There is no way in hell some wannabe Death Eater with a wand is going to beat me!"

Teddy stepped back, shocked. He stared her in the eyes, Nott brown on Nott brown.

"Look. You're not Hermione Granger anymore. You are Hermione Nott. You are the smartest, nicest person a guy could be friends with, you are a loving girlfriend to a millionaire teenage boy who is devoted to you, and you are my witty, beautiful sister. Is that not good enough for you?"

Hermione stood, her glazed eyes sadly watching his face. A single tear trailed down her cheek, but the rest polled in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

Teddy opened his arm for her and she rushed forward, entering her brother's embrace. She laid her forehead against his warm, bared chest, her arms also pressing against him.

"I'm so sorry," she murmured. Theodore ran his hand threw her thick hair, resting his head on hers, just holding her.

This was one of those moments, and Theodore knew it. The moment he had always longed for with a sibling, to just come to an understanding. The moment _he _got to be the older one. Hermione needed him, and he felt like a brother. Someone's real brother. It was an incredible feeling.

Hermione pulled back suddenly. He just looked at her, waiting for her words.

"I have to find him," she breathed, her eyes begging him to understand her. "I have to get him before he gets me."

Her brother nodded, silently agreeing. He understood her stance on the subject.

The Aurors didn't have the evidence that she did. She couldn't give it to them without risking her family's lives. This was really her only option, unless she simply waited. Hermione had the feeling that if she did wait, the killer would demand some sort of reward for staying away. That wasn't an option either.

"I'll help, just as long as you tell me," Theodore vowed. Hermione gave him a thankful smirk.

Hermione carefully took the notes from his hand and turned to her desk. She set them down next to each other, then put the heels of her hands on the edges, hunching forward a bit in sleepiness.

"Using the map in your room and a charm from last year, I found out the only place this ink is made is in Hayfield," Hermione started speaking quietly. "It would make sense because the paper is of thick density, and everyone knows that area is a rather wealthy bunch."

"Yeah, Blaise has a country house out there. Takes the lads with him during summer to hang and josh off."

Hermione just nodded, thinking hard about her game plan.

"I'm going," Hermione said. She turned to look at him full on. "I'm going tonight. This is going to end _tonight_."

Teddy knew he was supposed to stop her. He knew that's what she expected him to do. But he wanted this to end just as much as she did. He wanted it to be over, and he didn't want to wait for the Aurors to catch up.

"I'm in."

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Teddy stayed at the house. Hermione wanted to go alone.

It was a small area, with big houses. The choices for a squatting location were narrow, and the chance the killer lived in a paid for house was more likely, and should be easy to find. This was an area known for snobbish millionaires who brag about everything they do. Hopefully it would be as easy as it sounded.

Hermione Apparated to the outskirts of the village, the _crack _of magic loud in the quiet night. Hermione knew how late it was. No one should be awake. It had been easy enough to sneak past her parents to get to the Apparation spot outside the front door.

Since it _was _the middle of the night, Hermione wandered for a while, thinking about her new game plan. She had never expected Teddy to let her go, so that took care of her first plan to get away. She hadn't though past that.

So she walked, hoping something would pop out to her. Nothing.

She walked and walked through Hayfield. Just big houses and big lights streaming out of partying houses. The streets started to get a bit more quiet as she passed to an older part of the town; older street lamps, the house styles falling back ages. She turned on her heel, knowing she'd find nothing here. As she passed in front of one of the oldest houses; at least from the early 1920s. Vines were growing up its sides, the exterior bricks slightly cracked from age.

But what caught her attention this time about this insignificant house was a mark crudely scraped into the side, among a patch of moss growing there. A skull with a snake as a tongue, twisting around in the green.

Hermione eyes widened. A… Death Eater? Her suspicion rose. Her instincts pulled her toward the house.

The door was locked, with more than a simple deadbolt. But Hermione easily managed to infiltrate it. The inside of the house was filled with expensive furniture wrapped in see-through tarp. Columns reached to the ceiling, giving the house a Roman feel. The house was silent as a mouse. Hermione hoped with all her heart the occupant was asleep. If there _was_ an occupant. This place didn't look like it had been used in forever, but looks can be deceiving.

As Hermione made her way toward the staircase against the far wall, a buzzing came from a room behind her. She whipped around with her wand drawn, but saw nothing. The buzzing turned into music, like someone was playing around with an old radio. The music was a 1940s classic, Louis Armstrong's deep voice ringing out '_What a Wonderful World'. _Oh, the irony.

Hermione stood still, just listening, mostly for the person, no matter how much Louis Armstrong made her want to sway. Nothing. She started walking, ever so slowly, toward the room. Her footsteps were light and soundless. Her wand was crackling with energy at her side, ready to hit someone with a wicked stunner.

As the doorway came into view, Hermione saw white marble counters, looking like they were just polished yesterday. The radio sitting there gave away that it probably hadn't been, the dust visible even from Hermione's standpoint.

Hermione reached the doorway. She didn't enter, just calmed her nerves and counted, knowing this was it.

_1… 2…3._

Hermione jumped into the kitchen, pointing her wand out in front of her. No one was there. Hermione's face loosened and she lowered her wand. The person must have slipped out through the side door, presumably leading to a dining room.

But as Hermione turned around to get in through the other door, she was met by the end of a wand.

Pain. Pain more than any other pain she had felt spread across her chest, as if a knife set had just sliced through her skin. She screamed in pain, falling to the floor as her legs gave out.

As she hit the ground, the searing pain cut through her again, this time cutting up her legs. Even through the pain, Hermione knew what her attacker was doing.

Making sure she couldn't run. She might have been able to get up before, but now her legs wouldn't be able to support her. Apparently, just for good measure, another shot was aimed at her stomach.

Hermione yelled again, but after that clamped her teeth on her lip. She had to focus.

Yet sleep sounded so good. Her eyesight was fuzzy, she couldn't see her attacker. All she was of them was black, and the blob was getting smaller. They were running. Away.

Hermione tried to yell at them, tell them to stop and get her help. Not that it would work.

Hermione pressed her arms against her chest in a feeble attempt to stop the blood flow. But she was too weak, and she felt her consciousness rapidly flying away.

A loud yell made her jump, but she called it a hallucination and closed her eyes. She sat, listening to the yells of the familiar voice. Familiar?

She opened her eyes as pressure was put on her thighs, strong pressure. Someone was trying to staunch the blood. The figure was fuzzy still, but lighter than the other guy. A different person. Someone trying to help her.

_Light hair_, she thought happily, _Light hair. Blonde hair. Such pretty hair._

~:~:~:~:~

"Mi, Mi!" Her brother yelled to her bloody figure.

He knew he shouldn't have let her go, but he did. And now she was dying in his arms.

Theodore Nott bravely picked up his sister, and took the chance of running to the Apparation point. He needed to get to the hospital quickly and this was the fastest way.

He took one last look as his broken sister, held onto her lightly, and spun in his leather shoes, his only thought;

"_Stay with me."_

**~:~:~:~:~:~**

**Please don't kill me, I love you all, I swear!**

**I didn't mean for this to take so long! But, I got over my school-year blues and wrote it. Now I write a new chappy for Hotels (new Dramione story, fans!) and then back to Nott!**

**See ya'll soon.**

**~Terra**


	20. Chapter 20: Pain

Hermione didn't know what was going on. Everything around her was a blur, but all she was searching for was a black figure. Her attacker.

She knew who it had been, she knew she needed him to come back. All she needed was to tell someone, they would get him and bring him to her. That's all she wanted.

But noise was everywhere; yelling, screaming, beeping, squeaking. Hermione was moving, fast, and she had half the mind to roll over and dislodge herself from the motion sickness. But her limbs weren't responding. They were stinging, actually, and everything felt sticky. Really sticky, like glue sticks or the back of Post-Its. It was weird.

_Whatever_, Hermione thought, _whatever. _Hermione laid back and listened to the screaming. Nothing came out of it, but she had that feeling like it was directed to her. Apparently someone was angry.

Hermione's internal voice laughed, being that her voice box seemed to be out of service at the moment.

All the sudden, the beeping was close, and Hermione wanted someone to shut it off. The bloody sound was really annoying, honestly. Who would want such a thing?

Power was surging through her, but not her own. Hermione could feel her much stronger power fighting against it. All magic was for her body was trouble. _None of that here, no way._

Hermione almost smiled as the yelling increased. She was certainly making someone angry. Very, very angry.

Then everything was black again.

~:~:~:~:~

The only noise was breathing. Nothing else, just the sound of life. It comforted her.

Softness was under her, familiarity. Nothing like that God-forsaken floor. A hand was holding hers, rather loosely, but wrapped around hers like a warm hug. Hermione likes it very much. She lightly squeezed, trying to get a tighter grip. It worked. The hand tightened, ever so slightly, a little hesitant.

Hermione squeezed again, ever the determined one, trying again. The hand tightened quickly after that, holding on firmly. Hermione heard shifting, then a whisper.

"Hermione?" it asked, ever do kindly. "Hermione, come on. I'm here. I'm right here. Just wake up. Please, Hermione."

It begged her, and all Hermione wanted to do was agree and do as he said…

_He?_

Hermione took a deep breath, breathing in fresh air, her lips dry and cracked. As she exhaled, her eyes opened, only processing a wind of colors.

Gold, mostly, but there was a bit of black and white, all on a flat surface, like a wall. Yes, a wall. Her wall. Her room!

Hermione blinked, desperately trying to focus. Was she at home? Was she alive?

He was whispering again, telling her all he wants is to see she is ok, to be assured she is alive. She is alive.

As if hit by a boulder, everything came back.

Hermione Granger. No, Hermione Nott. Her room, at her house in Derbyshire. Where she left her loyal brother to wait for her to return with a killer, successfully. Looks like she screwed that up.

Hermione turned head to the side, seeing platinum locks and grey eyes. Draco.

"Draco!"

A sigh of relief echoed around the room as their eyes met.

"Hermione," Draco breathed, squeezing her hand tighter, looking like he was about to bounce out of his seat. "Hermione, you're ok. Thank the gods."

Hermione smiled weakly. She tried to sit up. She wanted a hug, a kiss, anything from him. Reassurance.

But it was all pain. She cried out, surprised. This wasn't supposed to happen. That was all real?

"No, Hermione," Draco told her, standing up from his chair beside her bed to make sure she was okay.

"I'm fine," she replied automatically, lying back with a slump. "It just surprised me."

Draco looked around, looking for something, then he spotted it on her desk. His long legs got him there in three steps, and he walked back with a small bottle in his hand. He sat back down on the chair, turning it in his hands.

"The Healers said that this muggle medicine would help more than potions. Something about you taking too many."

He presented the bottle to her and she took it happily when she realized they were strong pain killers.

"Yes, these are very helpful for pain," she explained quickly, grabbing a cup of water neatly set on her bedside table. She downed huge gulps of water, throwing in three pills. Draco watched with interest.

Hermione laughed and spent a few minutes explaining muggle pills, how they help and work. Draco finally nodded his head. Hermione smiled.

"So where is everyone?" She asked. It wasn't hard to notice Draco was the only one there. He looked at the ground with an awkward smile.

"Well…" he began, then laughed. "You have… uhm… been asleep for nearly a week now—"

"What?" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes widening. Hermione never slept for more than 12 hours in her life, much less a week. Draco looked in her eyes.

"The Healer gave you a potion for it. You lost so much blood you had to rest to replenish it. There is only so much they can give you before you have to do it alone."

Hermione looked at her hands. His eyes were full of questions. Why had lost so much blood? What had she been doing? Why didn't he know about it? She didn't know what to think.

"Anyway, your family had not left your side, and today was the first day since that they have gotten out of the house. My parents took them to London for the day. Of course expect you to wake up the one day they are not here."

Hermione laughed, looking at him again. She saw more smile in his eyes now.

"Yes, the irony," she giggled. The couple fell into a silence. A tense silence. Draco sighed heavily.

"Hermione—"

"What did the Healers say? About my injuries?" She cut him off, acting like she didn't hear him. She looked at him with a blank face while waiting for the answer. Draco sighed again.

"At first they could not determine the spell, it wasn't until I got there and called Potter that we knew what happened. Your attacker hit you with multiple _Sectemsepra _curses. You have cuts all over your body."

Hermione immediately pulled the covers away from her stomach, lifting up the white shirt she was in to see white cuts… everywhere. It was an endless maze, harder to find her tanned skin than the marks. Hermione looked at it in disbelief.

Draco tentatively took her hand and pulled her shirt down.

"The Healers can remove the scars; they just needed your permission first. It is a very easy process, mine…"

Draco didn't finish, letting Hermione draw her own conclusions. Hermione remembered all those years ago, when Harry had come running into the common room screaming that he had almost killed Draco Malfoy. After pressuring he had taught the spell to her and…

"Ron!"

Draco looked up in surprise, but after processing what she said, looked down again.

"That's what Potter seems to think. Weasley's gone missing."

Ron was the only other one who knew the spell… and he was very angry at her for, one, moving in with the Notts, and two, dating Draco. But would he _really _act out in this way? Would Ronald Weasley get so mad as to kill her parents?

~:~:~:~:~

Hermione sat, her mind all over the place as she pondered the idea. Ron Weasley, one of her best friends, murdering her parents, with dark magic, to get back at her for not dating him? Ron did have a temper, but eve Hermione didn't think it could flare that much.

But there was the fact he had been hit by a _Sectemsepra _curse, just as Harry described doing to an intruder.

"Hermione?"

Hermione took a few seconds before looking up, into his eyes.

"Please, just… please tell me what happened. Why did you get hurt?"

Hermione sensed the real question behind his words. _Why didn't you let me protect you? _He felt bad that he wasn't able to help.

"Draco, you have to… listen. What I did was rash and not thought through, but it wasn't unnecessary. I… it was something I owed to myself. I had to see if I could do it, by myself. Find out if I could really outwit anyone. But I couldn't."

"Hermione, just tell me what happened. Start from the beginning."

Hermione took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and told him everything. Everything she hadn't told anyone, anything she had. All about the notes, her searching, her suspicion of Ron, Teddy's temporary involvement, her trip to Hayfield, the attack; everything. She finished, finally after nearly 20 minutes of nonstop talking.

Draco had his head in his hands, just listening, as she had asked. He sat perfectly still, contemplating what she had just told him.

"Draco?"

He looked up slowly, meeting her eyes. His eyes were swirling with so many different emotions she didn't want to see. Worry, hurt, betrayal, guilt… everything he felt for her was being reflected in her own eyes, but she felt betrayed by herself. She should have involved him. He was a powerful wizard. He would have done anything for her.

Yet she felt like she knew that already. Like that _was _the reason she hadn't told him. He would have stopped her. He would have gotten hurt for her. He would have tried and saved her. Hermione couldn't bear the thought. She looked away.

"You need to understand," she started, "that I couldn't let this," she pointed to her body, all the injuries and scars, "happen to you. I just wanted to be the bigger person, to take a couple hits and then catch the bad guy. It just didn't… work." She finished lamely. She looked down at her hands, feeling broken and hopeless.

Draco pushed off from his chair, surprising Hermione, and sat on the edge of her bed. Being that the meds had kicked in, Hermione could know move with less pain. It wasn't bad at all, but wasn't totally unnoticeable. It would do.

Draco sat for a moment, just staring at her hands, just like she was, before moving again, surprising Hermione again as well.

He quickly toed off his shoes, maneuvered over Hermione's body to slide up next to her on the other side of the bed, so he fit next to her better. Hermione moved to accommodate him. She turned on her side, looking him in the eyes as she pulled the covers up her chest.

Draco lightly traced his fingers along her arm, still thinking over her story. She didn't talk, didn't move, didn't breath. She just stared at him.

Finally, after what seemed a lifetime, Draco moved. He leaned forward until his lips met hers, ever so gently. He didn't move against her, didn't deepen the kiss, just placed his lips on hers, for reassurance. Hermione pushed closer to him, hugging his broad frame to her smaller one.

"Hermione, please," Draco whispered against her lips. Hermione heard the worry in his voice, his pleading.

"Please what?" she asked tentatively, fearing she knew what he would ask.

He made sure to look deep into her eyes, conveying his point to her very soul. He rolled over her, balancing on his elbows, showing dominance. She stared back at him, knowing he was all serious, but was having a hard time _not _getting aroused.

"Stop going after him."

Hermione's heart nearly stopped. Her suspicion was true. He wanted her to quit.

Draco must have seen the determination and anger swirling in her eyes, because he began speaking again, before she could.

"This guy has power over you. And you're letting it happen. You don't even know what he wants, or who he is. Please, for the God's sake, stop. For your family, your friends, and—"

"You," Hermione finished. She sheepishly traced patterns on his chest. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I knew you would stop me," she told him quietly, memorized by the grey heathered T-shirt he was wearing.

Draco didn't refute, he knew she was right. He would have done anything in his power to stop her.

"Please," he repeated, whispering his plea so quietly she barely heard him. "I can't let you get hurt anymore. I have had enough pain in my life already, and if I lost you…"

He didn't even finish the painful thought, letting his meaning float in the air.

"Hermione, I promise me and Harry and the Aurors will get him. We can all do it together, and you can stay safe… with me. Just promise me you'll stop looking."

This was the biggest problem of her life, and he wanted her to sit back and let other people do it.

Hermione Granger was _not _one to let other people do her things. They were _hers. _Only she could do them right. Only she could do them, period. Not even Harry had that much trust from her. She couldn't wrap her head around trusting a group of guys with something this delicate. With something so close to her heart.

As Hermione's mind reeled, she nearly jumped at her thinking. _But… I'm not Hermione Granger anymore_, she slowly reminded herself. _I am Hermione Nott. _Hermione Nott was a Slytherin at heart, along with her family. Hermione Nott can be patient like a snake and strike when the opportunity is best. Hermione Nott will allow help, but only if she's part of it. Hermione Nott will… _stop looking_.

For her family.

For her friends.

For Draco Malfoy.

"I promise."

~:~:~:~:~:~

**Sorry, this chapter was supposed to be WAYYYY longer, but I thought, hey, I've been an awful person and not updated for a while, so I'll cut it into two and get this one up. Next one should be up soon, because it's the one I've been DYING to right, if you catch my drift!**

**Til next time,**

**~Terra**


	21. Chapter 21: Their moment

**Chapter 21**

**Hola! I am so sorry this took so long, right after I posted the last chapter I was PUMPED to write this chapter, then school decided they were going to try and kill me via homework and giant tests. And, yes, that's my excuse. Love you all!**

**~:~:~:~:~:~:~:**

Draco kissed her, putting all he could into it.

His happiness, his sorrow, his… lust.

Definitely, he was _very _happy.

Hermione laughed joyfully against his lips, responding back with fervor. Draco relaxed into her body.

"Thank you, Hermione," he praised between kisses, "Thank you, love."

The next thing that happened surprised Draco, causing him to pull back and stare at his girlfriend. She unzipped his pants and began pulling up his shirt.

"I want you, Draco," Hermione told him shyly, meeting his eyes. "Please—"

"No begging needed, love. Just… be sure," he said back, slightly in shock. He's wanted this since he "officially" met her, could she really want him the same way?

"I'm sure. I'm so sure," Hermione said with a relieved laugh. She pulled his lips back to hers, thanking him thoroughly.

Draco pulled his shirt over his head, as she had been trying to do prior. Hermione stared at his defined chest, his fit abs, his muscular arms. She had seen then before, but she guessed that since she _knew _it was happening this time, she should appreciate it more.

Draco kissed her neck, licking and sucking at places. He found the spot under her jaw that she liked so much. A breathy moan echoed around him.

Starting to suck lower, he pulled away. He reached toward the bottom of Hermione's white shirt, lifting it up in the same fashion she had with his. It revealed more and more of her white scars, but he didn't care about them. Only Hermione.

He finally got a full look at her gorgeous breasts. Do to her excessive sleeping, apparently, a bra hadn't been a necessity. And Draco thanked whatever god gave them that idea.

Her nipples were peeked, and a rosy pink. He groaned before pulling one into his mouth, sucking lovingly. Hermione carded her fingers in his hair, gasping and whimpering as his ministrations. He easily moved to her other one, giving it the same care. Hermione chest was heaving heavily, and a slick feeling was pooling between her legs.

She could feel his hard arousal pressing against her thigh, ready to meet her. She eagerly pet him, causing Draco to moan against her skin. The vibrations excited her.

She quickly pulled his lips back to hers happily indulging in something she never thought she'd experience again.

His length was positioned right over her heat, and he rubbed against her intimately, watching her face contort with pleasure

Draco lightly placed his hand on the side of her breast, slowly trailing it down so she got his idea. When he reached the top of her pajama shorts, she eagerly lifted her hips, to allow him access. Draco hooked him thumbs around two different waistlines, pulling down her knickers with the shorts. Hermione just looked at his face with a nervous gleam. She bit her lip fretfully. He caught the look.

"Do you want to stop?" He asked as softly and agreeably as he could. He didn't want his immediate disappointment to show in his voice. Her safety and well-being came first to him. Hermione looked a little shocked, like she was surprised he asked.

"N-no," she said tentatively, breathing heavy like her brain was being over worked. Draco slammed his mouth against hers to distract her, clear her head. He would take no if she said it, but he just, and felt so selfish for even thinking this, wanted her to know what she would be missing out on. Of course he would wait for her, take her when she was ready, but… he just wanted her to be his. To stake his claim and show all the other males she was clearly spoken for. This was the ritual for such a sign. He wanted her so badly, it hurt.

She sighed, like she had finally given up.

"No," she firmly said, smiling shyly and pulling his mouth back to hers. Her kisses now held so much passion, so much willingness and lust. Hermione knew she had just worried herself about this. This was what she wanted! Now that it was happening… she wanted to savour every kiss, every touch, not rush into the actual intercourse… oh, but once she felt his fingers tickle her hipbones again, she gave in without a fight.

She happily lifted her hips and helped him push off her pants. They were carelessly tossed on the floor, no sympathy being found in their absence. Hermione's thin fingers danced to the band of his own pants, delicately unbuttoning them. Together, they pushed his pants down, staring into each other's eyes.

Hermione felt his hard length press against her thigh. Her heart pounded in her chest, excitement taking over her. Draco pressed his lips to her throat, sucking hard on her rapid pulse.

Hermione's fingers shakily brushed through his hair, the anticipation overcoming her. This was it!

Hermione's hand traveled lower, tentatively touching his bared cock. Draco's arms almost gave out. Her fingers felt every vein and curve, lightly sliding over his weeping crown. Draco moaned, unconsciously thrusting his hips forward in a weak attempt for more friction. Hermione gripped his length, his response enough to encourage her she was doing this well.

Her hand slowly pumped him. He so very responsive to her touch, it turned her on. She loved it. With a light tug, his long length poked at her lower lips. Draco's eyes closed and he sighed heavily, trying desperately hard not to jump his hips forward and plow into her. She had to be in charge. This was for her comfort.

Hermione took the opportunity to look down at where they were supposed to connect. His girth was thick and scarily close to her opening. The last guy that had been this close wasn't half that size. Draco caught her gaze.

"Ah", he observed, looking down at her with fresh worry. Some woman had walked out on him in fear of too much pain, but the ones who had stayed had always been fully satisfied when they left, Draco had assured it. But no more one-offs after this. This was _it_. Hermione would be his only from now on.

If she'd have him.

Hermione chuckled lightly and pulled him closer.

"I just survived a murderer's wrath, I can handle it."

Draco didn't want to make this funny, but the determination and lust in her eyes let him know she would give all to him.

Inch by slow inch, Draco eased himself into her warm core. Hermione gasped and whimpered every time he moved more. Her walls were being stretched by this impressive length and wide girth. Pain was a factor, but it was riding the line of pleasure-pain, so it wasn't as bad as she imagined. She just needed to trust him.

His hilt hit her lips, a sigh leaving both their mouths.

"That… feels…" Hermione panted, her arms wrapping around his torso. Draco crushed his lips to hers, pulling his hips away and shuttling back in. Hermione groaned.

Draco easily started an erotic rhythm, the angle he was pounding in rubbing against her sensitive clit on each long, thick stroke. He nearly withdrew to the tip before pumping back into her, the deep and calculated thrusts enough to empty her brain of all thoughts, except _him_.

Their loving cadence continued as Draco grabbed her legs and wrapped them around him, attempting and achieving deeper penetration. Hermione screamed into his mouth. Draco moved his mouth to her neck, sucking hard at any spot he could find.

"You are amazing, baby", he groaned, nipping at her skin before lathing over it. Hermione whimpered, a tightness in her abdomen becoming more present.

"Dray…" was her only response. All she could really manage, being that his name was her only thought. Hermione used a bit of her strength to push Draco under her, the speedy switch catching him off guard. Hermione smiled sexily at him, lowering her head and heatedly kissing him.

She straightened up, her knees straddling him, her hands holding down his wrists. Draco was immensely aroused by her new dominate behavior. It was hard to believe she was in any sort of pain an hour ago.

Already slick with their combined juices, Hermione easily slid up and down his length, slowly at first. She went down all the way to his hilt, wiggling a bit to get it stimulated before rising up again. The muscles in her thighs were starting to burn, and she would probably pay for this later, but it was _so_ worth it.

Hermione forward and again her clit was rubbed down his length. She threw her head back in ecstasy, showcasing her breasts and smooth neck to Draco's hungry stare.

Draco moved her hands to his shoulders, where she quickly found purchase, and he sat up. His hands held her hips in a bruising grip and he helped her bounce on him. Draco paid more homage to her beautiful breasts, sucking at the delicate berries she offered. Loud grasps from her were enough to egg him on. She began bouncing faster, taking him in deeper.

Draco grabbed her chin and pulled her mouth back to his, kissing her roughly and intimately. He rolled them back around, shuttling into her even quicker. He hit deep, making Hermione writhe under him with screams flowing out of her mouth.

She could feel the bubble in her stomach about ready to burst. Draco could feel her walls tightening. He grunted, knowing they were both about to pour over.

Hermione was the first one to go.

A husky yell echoed around them as spots dotted her vision and her body floated into euphoria. Draco moaned moments later, spilling his seed deep into her. He held her tight to his chest as he panted loving nothings in her ear. She didn't hear them, but she appreciated the thought.

It took a few minutes for them both to calm down enough to look at each other. Hermione had a awestruck smile and a special glint in her eye as she observed her boyfriend's sweaty hair and perfect pink lips. She kissed him sweetly.

"You really are the best, aren't you?" she lightly joked. Draco smiled at her.

"Only for you, my darling," he replied. He rested his forehead against hers, rubbing their noses together.

They fell asleep curled together, their naked bodies touching at every available point. For Hermione it was the perfect end to a fairly imperfect week. Nothing was wrong.

Yet.

**~:~:~:~:~:~:~**

**I AM SO SORRY! I wanted this to be perfect and it took a little longer to perfect that it was supposed to! I have an idea of what I'll do for the next chapter, so that should be up soon!**

**~Terra**


	22. Chapter 22: Loving Life

Hermione was curled into Draco's side as they lay against her headboard, reading some magazines and papers he had brought with him about the book she had "written" with Harry. Both of them were still naked; the sheet pulled over their lower halves and Hermione's breasts, while Draco's chest was bared. Draco had his arm slung over her shoulders. He was also wearing his reading glasses, much to Hermione's pleasure. Hermione giggled at Witch Weekly review of her book.

"'Hermione Granger was simply glowing as she discovered her best friend and war hero Harry Potter had put a book together in her honor. As she embraced him, as shown above, can anyone see that this hug might be a little _too_ friendly?' It's titled _The Hero and the Heroine; A Classic Love Story_. How sweet. Apparently I'm in love with Harry."

Draco laughed and kissed the top of her head.

"You better not be, I already called dibs." Hermione giggled as he attacked her ear, playfully tugging on it. Hermione tossed Witch Weekly aside and picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet from two days before. Laughing as she pushed Draco's head away, she flipped the newspaper open and kept turning pages until she found a review for her book. The columnist raved about how Hermione and Harry were perfect for the circumstances they were put in. Feathering her fingers through the pages as Draco's mouth moved to her neck, she almost missed a giant picture of her plastered on a page of the gossip column. She gasped and turned back to the page, watching the moving picture and it showed her smiling at the crowd and flipping her hair perfectly. She was even aware she could do that.

**MUGGLEBORN EXTRAORDINAIRE ACTUALLY A PUREBLOOD PRINCESS: HERMIONE NOTT'S REAL STORY.**

Hermione read in horror a column by none other than Romilda Vane as the bint told the world who she really was, a pureblood from the Nott family. It went on about their theory that Hermione knew all along, how she wanted to pretend to be Muggleborn for the appearances of the Golden Trio. It was ridiculous rubbish, but she couldn't help being distressed.

Draco read over her head. He kissed her forehead lovingly.

"I'm sure it will be okay," he offered weakly. Hermione just threw the paper over the end of her bed. She shook her head, and then sighed deeply.

"It doesn't matter; I guess it's for the better anyway. Now it might be easier without any secrets," she decided, leaning into him. She picked up another random magazine, only to find it was that day's copy of the offending paper. She groaned and through it after the other one, just for her to catch sight of another picture.

Grabbing her wand off her side table, she Accio'd the paper back and flipped through it until she found a picture of a gorgeous vineyard, a small hill and a tree topping it in the middle. Hanging from the tree was a branchy swing. Even in the little sunlight the scene supplied, Draco's telltale white hair was visible in the picture, and Hermione identified herself seated comfortably on his lap with her silky curly hair running down her back. The scene played over and over; Draco looking into Hermione's eyes and then their lips slamming together in a passionate kiss.

The couple watched as they relived their Italian date over and over again in a matter of seconds.

"I didn't even see them," Hermione said quietly.

"Yeah, me neither. I never would have expected anyone like this to be there either. I'm sorry, I thought we were alone."

"Its fine, Draco. At least they didn't interrupt." Draco chuckled. They had finished their long and heated make-out session almost an hour after this picture had been taken, so the reporter was obviously there for one picture. Then Draco read the title in her ear.

"'_NOTT'S NEW PRINCESS GETTING CLOSE TO A FAMILY FRIEND, THE MALFOY HIER.' _Well, that's rather unnecessary. The picture clearly shows we are quite close, wouldn't you say?"

Draco always had a way of making Hermione happy. She shouldn't worry about this silly gossip, though she still found it kind of hard thinking she was important enough to write about. _It must be Malfoy's fault_, she thought with a giggle.

"What?" Draco asked with a smile, wrapping both of his arms around Hermione.

"Nothing," she replied through her giggles.

"You liar," he playfully accused, and begin to tickle her bare sides. She began laughing and kicking uncontrollably. They yelled at each other saying neither would admit defeat, just having fun.

Draco pushed her against the mattress and rolled himself on top of her, pinning her beneath him. She looked up at him with a small lioness smile, daring him to do anything. She could feel his length hardening against her. She knew _exactly _what she was doing to him.

Their lips met heatedly as their bodies moved against each other. Hermione jammed her hands into his hair, lovingly meeting his tongue as he dominated her mouth. It didn't take long for Draco to start sliding his length along her slit, nice and slow to capture their insatiable intensity. Hermione whimpered beneath him, tugging on his hair and arching her hips against him. Her breasts rubbed splendidly against his torso, eliciting more friction and need in her.

Her whimpers escalated to loud moans. Draco moved his hips slightly so that he was clipping her clit on every thrust. A shrill yell left her mouth, and she hugged him tighter in an attempt to better the friction. Just as she was opening her mouth to tell again, she instead heard the last thing she wanted to hear.

"Drake, you here in there?"

Hermione instantly recognized her brother's voice coming from the other side of the door. Her eyes met his. They must have not heard him coming in all their… excitement. Draco rolled to the side, but that was all he could do before Teddy opened the door. Draco frantically pulled the sheets higher up Hermione's chest, trying to make sure she was modest in front of her brother.

Teddy's eyes widened. There, _right there_, was his sister and his best friend naked in bed. He had never been more pleasantly terrified in his life.

"Feeling better, Mi?" he squeaked before falling against the door frame. This was the last thing he expected to find at home when he managed to escape his parents' idea of "fun".

"Uh… yeah, a lot better," she awkwardly replied, sitting up while holding the thin sheet to her chest. Teddy whipped his head away when he saw her bare chest was still… erect. He was comfortable enough with a naked Draco; you don't grow up with a person and _not _get used to it, especially being guys; but next to his sister with a large tent poking up, it was different.

He couldn't be mad at Drake, they were in love, but _shit, this is my sister_.

"Drake, just do me a favor and get some pants on," Teddy mumbled while rubbing his eyes. Hermione looked at him apologetically, and gave him a chaste kiss before they pulled apart and grabbed clothes of the floor. Draco hurriedly pulled on his trousers before helping Hermione get her shirt over her head and locate her shorts.

Hermione stood awkwardly. "Teddy?" she asked tentatively. He looked back at them. Teddy observed them for a moment.

"Mum and dad will want to know you're awake. They've barely left your side since… the accident," he said quietly, not meeting her eyes. Hermione's mood immediately dimmed.

"I don't want to ruin their day. Maybe we can just sit and… talk," Hermione suggested lightly, nervously observing Teddy's posture. He looked so broken.

"Yeah. Yeah, maybe that's a good idea."

Teddy slowly walked to the little table Hermione had by her window, Hermione and Draco following him. They sat in silence for a while; Teddy sitting stiffly and proper, Hermione crossed her legs and felt Draco's warm, reassuring hand on her thigh.

"Teddy, I'm sorry," Hermione finally burst, her shoulders slumping as she silently begged for her brother's forgiveness. Teddy looked at her through sad eyes.

"Hermione, do you know how hard it is to know it was your fault your sister almost died?" He said with weak power, his voice breaking at the end. Hermione's eyes filled with tears.

"It wasn't your fault—"

"That's was everyone else said when I had to tell them I let you go after a psycho murderer. But I could see it in their eyes, Mi. I could see what they thought, and how they thought it…"

Teddy turned his head, a single tear sliding down his cheek too. Hermione's cheek were wet with all her tears, and she felt Draco wiping them away, his fingers slightly caressing her face in an attempt to calm her down.

"Weasley came to visit you," Teddy almost whispered, still not meeting her gaze. Hermione's head snapped up.

"Ron came?"

"Yeah, he came. He sat right there and held your hand for an hour, before deciding he should give the whole family a piece of his mind."

Hermione's eyes widened at the disgust in Teddy's voice, and as she looked as Draco, she his jaw sticking out in anger as well. "What happened?" she squeaked.

Draco sighed.

"He told Theo it was his fault, that Theo let you go so he could be the one to say he offed the best friend of Harry Potter because once a Death Eater always a Death Eater."

Draco finished quietly. Hermione knew his own mark had faded, so he keeps it under a glamour charm. Teddy never got the mark, but had been in the presence of Voldemort before.

"I am so sorry Teddy. You know it wasn't your fault, no matter what people say. You were just being a good brother."

"That's not it, Hermione. Ron went after Draco too. Told him Drake he should just let you go because Ron would have been better for you. You wouldn't have gotten hurt if us stupid purebloods hadn't decided we always got what we wanted."

Teddy finished bitterly, and by the end Hermione even wanted to sneer. The sad part was, Hermione knew Ron had does it. It was something he would do."

"I'll talk to him," Hermione told both of them resolutely. Draco grabbed her hand.

"I'll go with you," he said in a no nonsense tone. He obviously did not trust Ron with her. Hermione just nodded, she didn't really care.

"Teddy, I don't blame you for what happened to me, and I think that is the important thing," she told her brother quietly, peaking at him from under her eyelashes. He just smiled at her.

"I believe you."

~:~:~:~:~:~:~

The siblings had decided the let their parents have fun for the day, and Teddy gave them an hour before they'd be back. After their talk, Teddy walked to his room and shut the door. He'd been playing his piano ever since, rolling out the concertos like they were nothing.

Hermione and Draco, being that they _were _teenagers, quickly found themselves laying on Hermione's bed again, Draco on top of her and moving his lips lovingly against hers. They kissed slowly and thoroughly as they listened to Four Seasons glide through the house. They did nothing other than kiss, and it was good reassurance for both of them. But their long make-out session came to an end at the sound of the front door opening. Teddy must have heard it too. The music stopped.

Draco and Hermione walked to the bathroom, glamour charming each other to get rid of bruised lips and love bites. They kissed deeply once more before Hermione jumped into bed and Draco sat in the chair again, staring lovingly at her and holding her hand.

Moments later Phaedra and William entered her room quietly, it still being a surprise that Hermione had finally awaken. As Hermione sat up to smile at them, her parents stared at her for a moment, before they both rushed forward to hug her. Phaedra just cried while William talked to Hermione.

"How are you feeling, dear?"

"I feel fine… dad."

William smiled widely.

"That's very good, dear. Very good. I'm glad you're ok."

Hermione hugged her father's broad shoulders again, before relaxing into her pillows. "So did you guys have at the antique fair? Draco told me Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy took you guys!"

Phaedra wiped the last of her tears. "Oh, dear, it was amazing! You would have had so much fun! There was all kinds of jewelry and chemical makeup, you would have loved it!" Her mother went on and on, Hermione happily listened, smiling wider when she felt Draco slowly grasp her hand again, rubbing his thumb lovingly over her knuckles.

After an hour or so of the family sitting and talking happily, Hermione shyly said that she was tired. Phaedra immediately ushered William and Teddy out, but left Draco with the warning he better be out soon too, before shutting the door.

Draco looked at Hermione and kissed her hand.

"Sleep tight, baby. I'll be back soon."

Hermione bit her lip as he got up from the chair before she grabbed his hand and pulled him back.

"Will you stay with me?"

Draco nervously laughed.

"Uhm, Hermione, your family is here now…"

Hermione pulled him closer to her.

"No, keep clothes on and just… lay with me. Please."

Draco looked at his girlfriend, and immediately knew he couldn't say no to her. He walked to the other side of her bed and jumped under the covers scooting beside her. She turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a deep kiss on the lips.

"I love you, Draco," she whispered into his lips. His quick intake of breath almost scared her into taking it back. Instead he kissed her again, then nuzzled his nose into her neck.

"I love you, Hermione."

They fell asleep like this, Hermione making sure to silently lock the door. Just in case.

~:~:~:~:~:~

They were both wearing black cloaks to cover their faces. No one could see who they were, not that anyone could. They were in the middle of nowhere.

The younger one spoke. "So when are we going?"

The older one looked at the other sharply. "This isn't something you just _do_. We must plan, and it has to be _perfect_."

The other one snorted.

"I thought you said you've been planning ever since the mudblood was born! This plan _should _be perfect already."

"Don't doubt me," the elder snarled, a very practiced sneer directed to the other. "I clearly have an advantage over them. They think I'm dead. They will never expect me there, and you have gained their trust, correct?"

"Yeah, I have it. The Notts can really be gullible when they want to be," the younger bleakly said, having been asked this question every time they met.

"Then this plan will work splendidly. They will never see it coming. And I will pay that darling mudblood in kind for ruining my life. And the best part? She doesn't even know it."

**~:~:~:~:~**

**We are getting closer and closer to finding out who the killer(s) are! I hope you are excited, I've been building this up forever! Please review, I want to know if I should throw a little love scene in for you guys next chappy… ;). Comment and encourage! **

**~Terra**


	23. Chapter 23: Surprise, Surprise

Hermione was slightly nervous.

She was sitting in St. Mungo's, wearing nothing but panties and a hospital gown sitting on a bed, waiting to get her new scars removed. Draco had told her how easy and painless it was to do so, so she wasn't scared, just… nervous. She wasn't used to hospitals.

William and Phaedra had come with her, and were sitting in supplied chairs next to the hospital bed, waiting patiently as Hermione was, lightly holding hands. Hermione loved how her parents still acted as if their love was new. It made her happy.

William reached over and grasped Hermione's hand. She looked at him, and smiled at his caring face.

"I'm nervous," she told her father quietly. He nodded, then lightly pulled her up and over to him. He took both of her hands in his much larger ones and looked up at her.

"It's okay to be nervous, Hermione," he said calmly. Phaedra put her nimble hand on Hermione's arm, soothingly rubbing to try and help her calm down. Hermione was lucky to have such loving parents.

Hesitant at first, Hermione crawled onto her father's lap, like she secretly had always wanted to do, be a daddy's girl, and held herself in a ball. William wrapped his arms around her small frame and hugged her. Phaedra smiled at her family.

"It will all be okay, Hermione," her father told her again. A few minutes later, a female Healer came in. Of course she knew of the famous Nott family, their name right up there with the Malfoys, but it warmed her heart to see their war heroine of a 17- year old sitting on her father's lap like she was 8 again. Maybe not all purebloods were the same.

"Ready, Hermione?" she asked in a happy but soft voice. Hermione nodded silently, and got up after her father kissed her forehead.

She silently followed the Healer out of the door. Just walking down the hallway, Hermione could sense all the stares directed toward her. It wasn't everyday patients and doctors got to see a war heroine strolling around in a hospital gown. The Healer led her to a set of double doors, showing a small room with a few machines and another hospital bed.

Hermione laid down, watched as a few nurses and another Healer walked in, opened her gown as instructed, then observed as scar after scar disappeared.

~:~:~:~:~

Draco laid his hand on the small of Hermione's back, gentlemanly leading her to the table where their families were waiting for them. Phaedra and Narcissa had decided to go out to a nice dinner to celebrate Hermione's recovery the night of her scar removal.

They were all dressed in formal clothing to go along with the expensive French restaurant they had Apparated to.

The adults were dressed in suits and elegant long dresses. They looked so natural in them, it almost made Hermione nervous. Teddy and Draco obviously rebelled by wearing bowties with their collared shirt instead of traditional ties. Teddy had tied his, while Draco had the fabric hanging around his neck fashionably. One could tell by Narcissa's disapproving look she was not happy, but Hermione couldn't help but swoon. She blamed the teen in her.

Hermione herself had dressed in an olive green dress; her sleeves stopping just passed her elbow, and the high part of her high-low skirt stopping at mid-thigh and the low part flowing to the middle of her calf. The fluidness and elegance of it enchanted her, and from his lingering stares, her boyfriend too. She masterfully paired her stunning dress with gold, peep-toe pumps and a small black clutch. Her long, brown hair curled naturally around her shoulders. She felt beautiful as Draco lovingly rubbed his hand around her back.

As they approached the table, Hermione spotted Marilis clutching Teddy's arm, looking around as if daring the other girls staring on to make a move. Hermione knew it wasn't everyday people saw the Notts or the Malfoys, and it was exceptionally lucky to see them together. It was hard not to notice all the other females drooling over her attractive date, and almost everyone noticing he had a war heroine on his arm. Hermione hurriedly pulled Draco to the table, trying to get off of the unintentional runway. He kissed her temple romantically before pulling out her chair and helping her sit.

William and Lucius were deep in conversation over what sounded like the next Minister of Magic. Phaedra and Narcissa were going over a wine menu with the waiter, loudly debating over which choices would be the best. Teddy was observing the evening crowd quietly while Marilis chattered nonsense into his ear. He didn't seem to mind, Hermione was kind of happy that he was happy.

She turned to Draco.

"How are you?" he asked. Hermione wrapped her hand around his and pulled them onto her lap.

"Right now? Happy. Really, really happy", she smiled. Draco smiled back, then leaned forward and chastely kissed her lips. Their kiss was quickly interrupted by both of their mothers coughing loudly, clearly trying to get their attention. They pulled apart, mischievously smiling at each other.

The dinner went on like this. The adults conversed about political rubbish, and the teens attempted to talk, but it seemed Marilis was not in the mood to talk about anything important. Or so Hermione thought.

"Come on, Dray! I think Harry would be a great defense against the dark arts teacher! He loves Hogwarts more than anyone, it makes perfect sense!"

Draco laughed at his girlfriend.

"Potter can't teach to save his life. Don't think I haven't heard stories of his glory days as leader of Dumbledore's Army. Awkward as hell, I hear."

Hermione lightly blushed, then punched him in the arm.

"So he can't teach, doesn't mean he shouldn't try!"

"I think it does, Mi," Teddy chuckled. The three conversing laughed. Marilis was tapping her long fingernails annoyingly against the table, not being shy about her boredom.

"I'm going to use the ladies' room," she sighed dramatically, pulling Teddy in for a long and unnecessarily personal kiss before shoving off and swaying away. Hermione had to try hard not to roll her eyes, but she saw Draco didn't think twice about it.

"That girl is something else," he muttered under his breath. Teddy looked as if he was going to saw something, but ended up sighing heavily and nodded.

Servers came and whisked away their entrée plates, and a waiter started to ask about the dessert menu.

"I'll just have a glass of water, please," Hermione said to the waiter, not feeling like having another glass of expensive white wine. And sitting next to Draco; his intoxicating scent tickling her nose and his large hand rubbing her thigh; dessert made her feel… naughty. She just wanted to get somewhere private with her blonde beau.

Draco smiled mischievously at her.

"We will be sharing a slice of chocolate cake."

Hermione tried to be mad, but his infuriating smirk and twinkling eyes just made her want to grab him by the collar and ravish him there. ermHErHermione He knew chocolate was her guilty pleasure.

As they fought over the last bite a few minutes later, Hermione grabbed his neck and pulled his lips to hers. Their lips moved against other, ignoring their parents' glares. But as they were just pulling apart, Hermione stabbed the last bit of cake and thrust it in her mouth, smiling cutely as Draco as he stared at her in surprise.

Everyone at the table laughed at the Gryffindor's Slytherin attitude, forgetting about the very heated kiss that did not belong in a nice restaurant.

Afterwards, when everyone was talking amicably as the bill was being paid, Draco took Hermione's hand and led her to a small dance floor.

He didn't use any fancy moves, as Hermione knew he had taken ballroom lessons since he was six, as had Teddy. Draco used one of his long arms to wrap around her waist, and his other hand grabbed hold of hers. He swayed her slowly and romantically; nothing extravagant. She loved it.

She stood on her tip-toes to place a loving kiss on his lips again, smiling when he eagerly kissed back. She again pulled away and laid her head of his shoulder. Draco pressed her closer, clearly showing his possession of her to all the patrons of the room.

The music swept the room with a calm feeling; the grand piano rolling out Beethoven's _Moonlight Sonata_ like it was second nature. Hermione's fully relaxed into Draco's warm body.

Then the moment was ruined when Hermione felt another, colder hand rest on her upper back. She pulled away from Draco in shock, the glimpse of red hair she had caught enough to know who it was.

"Ron," she said emotionlessly. Draco stopped his movements, holding her closely in a protective manner.

Ron stared at them with disappointment and guilt.

"Hermione," he replied, his voice full of feeling. He removed his hand from her back as she shook it off. "I… uhm… Harry told me you were out tonight…"

"On speaking terms with Harry again?" Hermione scoffed, obviously not impressed with Ron's sudden appearance. "Ronald, I think its best you leave. I don't want to see you, especially when I am out celebrating with my family."

Ron looked to the side, and his eyes widened as he spotted the group of purebloods who looked ready to pounce at any moment. He looked back to Hermione with red ears.

"I need to talk to you," he stated plainly, then seemed to decide on something else. "Alone."

"Absolutely not," Draco snapped, pulling Hermione closer to him as if to spite Ron. "After what you said about her and her family last time, I have no intentions of leaving her with the likes of you."

Ron looked down and bit his lip, almost as if he was trying not to snap back at Draco himself. He looked at Hermione.

"Please, Hermione, just for a moment. It's really important," he pleaded, giving her his infamous puppy-dog eyes. Her resolve was melting quickly. Ron was her friend, and he seemed to truly have good intent…

"Just for a moment," Hermione slowly agreed, then looked up at Draco with stern eyes. They seemed to wordlessly communicate, Draco's eyes promising that he would stay close. Hermione nodded and pried his arm away from her.

Draco walked off and was met by Teddy at the edge of the dance floor, both of them ready to whisk Hermione away at any sign of danger.

Ron offered his hand, and Hermione begrudgingly took it. She made a point to stand a good distance away and make sure his hand stay far from her waist. She stood with a straight back and upturned nose, pushing away from his attempts at pulling her closer, clearly showing she was all business, and ready for him to speak.

"Look, 'Mione—"

"If you plan on acting like this was a little fit about a potions essay I wouldn't write for you, you better let go of me and walk out that door," Hermione demanded strongly. She was silently telling Ron to get to his point so she could get back to her night.

"I… I seemed to have blacked out the last couple weeks. I woke up in the Burrow, and Ginny came screaming at about how I… hurt you." The guilt he previously had in his eyes returned at full force. "I didn't mean to Hermione, I don't even remember what I did! Ginny just told me I blew up at your parents' funeral, and Malfoy gave me a black eye." At the words, he slightly turned his head so Hermione could see the glimmer of a Glamour charm over his left eye. "I don't remember anything, Hermione, I promise! I wouldn't hurt you, _ever_. You know that."

Hermione didn't say a word. She didn't want to. Hermione was sure all her friends may consider her a pushover, but this was one thing she didn't want to just forgive and forget. He had insulted her in so many ways, and she wasn't happy about him pulling this little stunt to try and get her pardon.

His baby blue eyes stared into hers, searching for any sort of feeling.

"I appreciate your apology, Ronald, but I'm not prepared to forgive you right now. You hurt me, even if you didn't mean to, and that's something I need to consider."

"But, 'Mione..." he whined. As if it were a spur of the moment decision, his lips puckered and descended on hers. Luckily, Hermione saw it coming. She quickly wrapped her palm around her mouth so that Ron's lips hit the backside of her hands. He didn't seem to notice at first, but swiftly straightened up when he realized he was kissing her hand. He blushed red.

"Hermione, come on—"

"I think your talk it over," Draco said from behind him, crossing to Hermione and protectively taking her back. Hermione leaned into Draco, him warm and inviting body helping her on coming headache. She was so _angry_, she could barely contain herself.

"I agree," she mumbled into Draco's neck. Draco turned his head to place a kiss on her forehead, to both comfort her and anger Weasley, then walked away with her.

They returned to table, the parents staring coldly at Ronald until he awkwardly walked out the door of the restaurant. They then turned to Hermione.

"I'm sorry that had to happen, sweetheart," Phaedra pitied, reaching up and taking her daughter's hand. Hermione was pulled to lean against Teddy, and she released a huge sigh from between her teeth.

"Thanks mum," she said absently, but still said it with enough feeling to convince everyone she was okay.

"How about I take you out to cool your nerves, and we'll meet with everyone back at your house?" Draco proposed. Hermione stared at him graciously.

"That sounds brilliant," she almost laughed, switching back to Draco and grabbing her clutch. Her mother kissed her on the cheek and her father handed over a couple galleons at the insistence of Phaedra. Hermione kissed William's cheek, then leaned over to hear Teddy whisper _I'll cover you for three hours, sis. Make it good. _She smiled down at her little brother, then intertwined her fingers with Draco's outstretched hand.

They stepped outside and Draco Disapparated them away.

~:~:~::~:~:~

Draco maneuvered them so that Hermione was lying under him as they Apparated onto a bed. Hermione quickly looked around the room and recognized his emerald walls, and the wall to the left of them decorated with muggle and Wizarding posters showing off band names and Quidditch teams. She spotted the large map in the middle, all the green strings and pushpin running around the surface.

Draco pulled her lips to his and grasped her thick hair in his hand to move her closer. She happily kissed him back, the sexual tension between them charging her body. Draco left hot, open-mouth kisses along her jaw, sucking on certain spots he had discovered always got her bothered. He kissed down her neck, leaving his markings behind to admire later. Hermione moaned beneath him, raising his excitement.

"What are… ooh, what are the spots on the map for?" She asked, quite randomly. She was truly curious, reverting back to her old 'Hermione Granger' ways. Draco smirked against her neck, and answered after giving her skin a good nip.

"All the places I want to take you someday," he breathed, moving his hand down her body in a suggestive manner, not that what they were doing was at _all_ suggestive.

"But that was there… before we started dating," Hermione protested. She cried happily as he licked over the dip in her neck, a particularly sensitive spot for her. Draco chuckled as he kept going down her body.

"I just knew I wanted to take the love of my life there, to all those places," he quietly explained, leaning up to look Hermione in the eyes at his concealed sentiment. "I'll take you to all those places one day, Hermione; to Paris, and Rome, and Sydney. And I will love you in all those places, too."

"Can we start here?" Hermione giggled, only to be cut off my Draco's smile landing on her lips. Then he moved his mouth back down to the neckline of her dress, tickling the skin underneath.

Hermione pushed him onto his back, straddling his hips and smiling down at him. Grasping the end of her flowing dress, she pulled it over her head to reveal her smooth, clean skin. Draco was mesmerized by the tan skin she was revealing to him. As the dress cleared her head and was flung across his bedroom, her black lingerie also catching his interest, Draco flattened his hand over her legs, then her stomach, and so on until he reached her cheeks. Then he pulled her down to him and hungrily kissed her.

Hermione started unbuttoning his shirt, easily ripping it open to reveal his toned chest. His muscles rippled under her hands, and he groaned at she kissed his pulse under his chin. Her front-clasp bra was easily pushed aside and Draco hoisted her up his body in order to suck her ripe areola. Hermione, both in shock and pleasure, yelled happily, straddling his stomach and carding her fingers through his silver hair. Her tugging turned him on even more.

Hermione was pushed onto her back, and her lips covered by her lover's. She helped him shove off his pants, leaving only a pair of boxers and her lacey knickers blocking them. Draco pulled away from her.

"I'd like to try something, if you don't mind," he shyly told her, peeking at her lust-filled eyes from behind his blonde eyelashes. Hermione understood after a few seconds he was asking for permission.

"Anything," she promised selflessly, totally at ease with him and her body. She trusted him effortlessly. She guessed it was a side effect of being in love. Just the thought of the sacred L-word made her giddy around her beau.

Draco kissed her again, long and passionate. He then began to move down her body. He kissed her at key location; such as her lobe, her collarbone, the valley of her breasts… it went on until his mouth was teasing the 'V' of her hips. His breath tickled a sensitive spot near her right pelvic bone, and her hips unexpectedly bucked forward. Hermione groaned with longing. Her knickers were slowly slid down her legs, leaving her completely bare to his exploration.

The first lick she felt on her core caused a scream to jump out of her mouth. The pleasure she received was not what she expected. It was more… heated.

She felt Draco kiss her clit, which she could feel pulsing with want and need. His lips latched onto her tiny pearl and sucked harshly. Hermione's mouth fell open in a silent cry, but moments later, as his tongue again lapped at her flowing juices, a resounding whimper reached her boyfriend's ears. He smiled against her skin, and continued his licking.

Hermione gasped and shrieked, depending on where he licked, but when he stiffened his tongue and penetrated her, her loud scream was enough to excite her into a powerful orgasm.

Draco kept licking at her as Hermione saw stars, gasping and moaning gratefully as her body practically floated. Her ecstasy was soon under control, but her heavy breathing was not.

She looked at Draco with lust-filled eyes as he kissed his way back up her body, finishing on her lips.

He gazed back at her as he easily slid his length into her wet core. The feeling of fullness swept through Hermione, and she grasped his biceps and he slowly began moving in and out of her. The slick feeling she felt was almost enough to make her orgasm again, but she knew she wanted to wait this one out. Draco had on the most loving and determined face and Hermione knew she was _definitely _in for it.

As Hermione wrapped her arm around him and pulled him in for a heated kiss, Draco shuttled faster. He could not believe it had merely been a few days since the last time they had made love, and still she felt as tight as a virgin. His train of thought didn't make it far, and as his brain became more addled from pleasure, he unanimously agreed magic must have something to do with it. _And hell, is she magic_.

Hermione wrapped her long legs around his waist and pulled, getting his hard cock to glide in further then it previously had. Hermione screamed from the neglected spot it hit, and continued making loud, whimpering noises as he hit it over and over again.

It didn't take long for both of them to know it was time.

"Dray… oh god, baby," Hermione whimpered, squeezing his body closer. Draco wrapped his hand in her hair and pulled her to his lips, nipping her lips and engulfing her cries. He continued pounding into her, feeling her tension. Her walls were clenching member tight, and that was enough warning for him. He sucked her earlobe between his lips, and then whispered to her;

"I love you, 'Mione."

Her excitement and joy made her burst, her pleasure-filled scream echoing in her ears and she momentarily floated. She felt Draco releasing himself inside her, and the thought brought another wave of ecstasy crashing into her.

She felt Draco's sweaty body slump against her, and she hugged him to her, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. Draco kissed her neck, soothing the red love bites he had left behind. Hermione had never felt so calm and at peace than she did at that moment.

"Thank you, Dray," she mumbled, smiling when she was met with a lazy pair of lips.

"Anytime, love. Anything for you."

Hermione observed his slightly pink face, watching as his golden eyelashes fluttered in exhaustion, and his pink lips glided over her shoulder.

"How did I get so lucky?" She sighed, running her fingers through his hair, much to his pleasure. He chuckled against her skin.

"Well, you are rather attractive…" he grinned at her as her faux shock face made her lightly slap his arm.

"I better be pretty bloody beautiful to you, mister. Or else no more romps for you." Her smirk was worthy of a Slytherin, and that thought just made Draco all hard again. He leaned up and heatedly kissed her.

"You are gorgeous, love. But we still have an hour, and I am in the mood for another go in the shower."

Before Hermione could respond, Draco had picked her up and flung her over his shoulder, casually walking to his adjoined bathroom.

"Let me go, you horny bastard!" Hermione laughed, not finding the energy to be mad at him. Once the hot sprays hit her skin and Draco's mouth found her tight nipples, she forgot all about the thought anyway.

~:~:~:~:~:~

Exactly an hour later, Hermione had managed to redress and make herself presentable before Draco got to her… again. Her first attempt at redressing had led to another round against his desk, but that was a story for another time. Right now, she needed to get back home before their parents came looking.

She walked out of the bathroom and found Draco buttoning up his dress shirt in front of a mirror, his mind clearly somewhere else as the buttons were pushed through the wrong holes. Hermione giggled quietly, then walked over to him and batted his hands away. Draco watched her lovingly as she button his shirt, then pushed against her as she pressed her red lips to his. Hermione quickly pulled away before he got any ideas.

"We have to go, Teddy gave us three hours," she reminded him, patting his cheek and taking his hand. Draco kissed her one more time.

"Next time, we are making sure we are not being waited on. I have plans on keeping you in my bed for over twenty-four hours before school begins again."

"Yes, yes, you keep working on those plans. Apparate us back," Hermione laughed, hugging herself to his body and preparing for side-along Apparation. Draco held her close and a pop resounded through the room.

:~:~:~:~:~:~:

The house was quiet when they got there. The lights were on and the night was still. Hermione didn't find anything wrong. Draco intertwined their fingers as she pulled him toward the door, humming happily along the way.

The door was unlocked and Hermione hopped right in, her happiness shining around her like an aura. But the instant they stepped through the door, Draco knew something was wrong. Call it whatever you want, Death Eater instinct, regular instinct, or possibly a little of both, but from pure experience Draco knew this house was never this quiet. Ever.

Either their parents loud laughter could be heard from the study, or the quiet hum of the house elves working in the kitchen, or Teddy mindlessly playing on his piano. Nothing.

Hermione stopped too late. Her thoughts were reaching the same ultimatum as his. But she realized it too late.

In front of her, kneeling in their living room, was her family. Hermione could see their hand were tied behind their backs, and gags were silencing them. Hermione's war instincts kicked in and she quickly acknowledged the Malfoys tied to chairs in the kitchen, clearly under a _Silencio_ charm as they worriedly glared at the teenagers. Hermione's head whipped around to Draco, only to find him tense and aware. He let go of her hand and slightly pushed her away, but he wasn't in a strong enough position to push her far. But far enough for Hermione to see someone standing behind his nudging a long knife into the small of his back.

A maniacal laugh sounded from behind the Notts. Hermione whipped around again, reaching for her wand, only to find it quickly spelled out of her hand. A tall, elegant woman appeared from the shadows, an old, dull black cloak covering to slim body, and her un-kept nails holding a wand taller than Hermione's forearm.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione caught sight of a teenage girl behind Draco, watching with a smile as the elder made her appearance.

"Marilis?" Hermione asked, her eyes growing wide and the teenager smiled and ran her hand down Draco's jawbone.

"At your service," her sickly-sweet voice answered, her mind seeming to be all too preoccupied with studying Draco's face. Hermione back the woman and a flash of silver caught her eye. Another knife. Hermione shivered as she realized it was the same knife that had cut _Mudblood_ into her arm, but not the same evil, wretched woman. This woman she had never seen, but accounting for the blonde hair and crystal blue eyes, Hermione had a fair guess…

"Oh, Hermione," Marilis laughed happily, moving her hand to caress Draco's bicep. "Meet your Aunt Peronel."

**~:~:~:~:~:~:~**

**Cah-liff hangahhhh! Sorry this took so long, finals this week and I must do good! I managed to get this finished between my English and Chemistry studying. Hopefully the next one should be up soon, I've been waiting forever to write it! Wish me luck!**

**Love, ~Terra**


	24. Chapter 24:The Beginning

Hermione's breath caught in her throat. The blonde woman smiled at her. She looked to be in her late thirties, judging by slight wrinkles around her mouth and eyes. Her skin was fairly pale, as if she hadn't seen the sun in a while. She was a fairly pretty woman. Her blue eyes closely resembled Phaedra's, but Peronel's were void of any kindness or happiness. Her eyes reflected fury and… revenge. Hermione didn't know she was familiar with the look until now.

They stared at each other for a moment before Peronel finally spoke.

"My dear Hermione," she said, spitting out Hermione's name like it was a curse, "Little, little Hermione. I still remember your silent cries as I took you away from your mother. A quick _Silencio _charm and Phaedra here," Peronel tapped her fingernail on the top of her sister's head, making her slightly wince, "was none the wiser. Nobody knew I had taken you until I wanted them to. It was a brilliant plan initially, I must say."

Peronel tapered off into an affectionate silence, seeming to be reminiscing about that night.

Hermione couldn't speak, shock still freezing her to the spot. She looked back at Draco, meeting his frantic eyes that had been trained on his parents. She knew she was definitely in a bind here. Peronel continued as she paced behind Hermione's family.

"Initially," she started again grandly, "the plan was to trick my older sister into believing her first child was dead, just to get back at her for her past indiscretions toward me. And as you guessed, it worked! Phaedra here fell for my plan, and ran back to her poor husband for comfort." At this line, Peronel stopped behind William, affectionately stroking his hair, then running her fingers down his jawbone, playing with his earlobe, then went back to her pacing. Hermione's mind was racing at the knowledge that had just been presented to her.

"What were the indiscretions?" Hermione asked without thinking. She mentally face-palmed herself, knowing that question was exactly what this madwoman wanted her to ask. Peronel's smile resembled the Cheshire Cat.

"Well, dear Hermione, my darling sister here decided she was going to take the only thing I loved away from me and make it her own." Each word she spoke sounded more like a growl as she stomped closer to Phaedra, the knife she had in her hands maneuvered into a more vicious stance and she neared her sister.

From the look on her face, everyone could tell was Peronel planned to do with the knife. As Peronel lunged for her sister in anger, Teddy thrust his leg behind him, effectively tripping his aunt. It was a distraction Hermione used to her advantage.

Hermione whipped her wand out of her pocket and pointed in at the Malfoys, breaking their bonds and undoing the silencing charm. They were immediately summoning their wands and pointing them and the Notts, planning on releasing them as well. But before they could, a feral growl and a pained groaned sounded from behind them. Hermione's body froze.

Marilis was standing over Draco, her hand on the handle of the knife plunged into Draco's side. Draco's face was half in shock, half in pain as he wildly looked around the room. His eyes landed on Hermione.

"Hermione…" he whispered, and then looked down at his wound. Marilis saw this, sneered, and then dragged the knife out of his skin quickly. Draco yelled in agony. His hands covered the wound, where blood was beginning to pool quickly. Hermione stood in shock, while his parents swiftly made their way over to him.

"Draco, Draco, darling, look at me!" Narcissa cooed, placing her cool hands on his cheeks and trying to get his glazed over eyes to focus. Lucius examined the wound, and raised his wand to fix it when it was flying out of his hand, landing in that of Hermione's… aunt.

"We can't have that now, can we Lucius?" Peronel cackled evilly. "I will allow you to heal your son after I kill the Notts. And if you don't interfere, I might let all three of you live."

Everyone was stunned into a silence. Hermione was panicked by the looks of all the sane occupants in the room. She may have assisted in the defeat of the Dark Lord, but honestly, without her pals at her side ready to rally her up, she was at a standstill. She was the brains, and this type of thing was the leader's job!

"Why so quiet, Hermione?" Peronel laughed, beginning to stroke William's cheek again. Hermione hated the way Peronel spat her name, and how she was continuously saying it to pester her. "Now, what was I saying before you," Peronel smacked the back of Teddy's head, making him wince but not move, "rudely interrupted your dear auntie?"

"You were talking about Phaedra's indiscretion," Marilis said, disinterested. She was more busy observing Draco as his face twisted in pain when his father put pressure on his wound. Hermione stared miserably down at her boyfriend's form, still not finding the power to move. She didn't know what to do.

"Ah, yes, and _what _an indiscretion," Peronel continued slowly, with a maniacal smile. "Your dear mummy stole the heart of the man I loved. And didn't even _think _about me."

Hermione's eyes widened, as well as her parents.

"But mum told me the only man she ever loved was… dad." Hermione stopped, staring at her father in shock. His gaze reflected hers. Peronel laughed again.

"Yes, indeed, your _dad_," she spat, staring at William accusingly.

"You told me that when you came and got me," Hermione breathed staring at her mom as their first meeting replayed through her head. "Mum told me thought you did that because you loved my dad."

Peronel's eyes twitched as the truth was revealed, but the insane smile was still painted on her face.

"Yes, my dear Hermione, he was the indiscretion. The story is a long one, but I believe we have time," Peronel giggled, petting William's head and reminding everyone who was in power here. Then she began to speak.

"My sister here had met William during their fifth year at Hogwarts, and by the next year they had decided to date. By then, the Dark Lord was heightening his power, spreading his reign throughout the United Kingdom. And with our father being a very high ranking Death-Eater, our mother decided to take our baby sister into hiding. Were you even aware we had a little sister?" She laughed at Hermione shocked expression.

"Yes, we did. She is probably dead by now, but I'll get to that. Between Phaedra's sixth and seventh year is when mother went into hiding. She didn't want to risk the Dark Lord noticing, so she refused to take her eldest daughters with her," Peronel spat spitefully, her mind obviously filled with evil thoughts about her mother. Again, she continued, not willing to let her story go unheard.

"William here selflessly volunteered to watch over us during the summer. It was during this time; when he showed me nothing kindness and protected me; that I fell in love with him." Peronel's eyes softened, for only a moment as she was lost in her thoughts, before she got back to business.

"Of course, it was Phaedra who had his heart. William loved her, and not me. I realized this, and moved on. One never truly moves on from a first love, however. I tried my hardest to get him to see me, to notice me as better then my wretched sister. At sixteen years old, I had joined the ranks of the Death Eaters as an internal spy to Hogwarts. My father had volunteered me for the role, and as it stood, I was the best choice. One, I was a female. No one would suspect me of being a Death-Eater spy. Two, I thought I could prove my worth to my father. After he had a daughter, his little princess, he wanted a son. I was a disappointment from the start, and this was my opportunity. Three, I was hoping to catch William's attention, being that his father was a Death Eater as well. I was sure in his maturing age he would be pulled into a life similar to mine." Peronel stood above William then, her face in a deciding smirk, like she was debating between hitting him and stroking his cheek. She finally just moved on, continuing to pace.

"But with William pursuing my sister and the Dark Lord expecting more of me, my hopes of wooing William were dwindling. Yet, in a confident turn of events, I had another chance. My mother made contact with my father five years after going into hiding, begging him to follow her and bring us with him. Even though my parents had an arranged marriage, as most purebloods, they had still grown to care for each other, and in turn their daughters. He was considering listening to her. But I knew better. The Dark Lord would find us, and then we would all be punished for his crime." Hermione could hear the honest fear in Peronel's voice, like she was reliving the moment in tenfold.

"I told the Dark Lord. I didn't dislike my father, but I had no love for him. He deserved what he got, and after his torture and death, I was given his place in my Lord's circle. At this point, I believed I had the power to force William's love on me. But it took me longer than I thought to find him. He had not joined the Death Eater as I had anticipated. His father had cut him off from any family ties, effectively covering his whereabouts. It took me a while to finally track him down, and by the time I did, Phaedra was expecting a child." Peronel's face twisted into a disgusted sneer as her glare turned to Hermione. "_You_ ruined everything. I knew William would never leave my sister now that she was having his child. I watched them for about a week, and they were married by the end of it. My chances were gone, and it was all because of you."

Hermione met her aunt's glare, but it took a lot for her to hold it. Out of the corner of her eye she could see her mother rapidly shaking her head, a silent way of saying _It's not your fault_. Peronel caught the movement, and broke their eye contact to slap her sister behind the head. Hermione flinched at the noise. Then she heard another noise from behind her. _Draco._

His pained gasp brought her attention back to him. Lucius had looped a belt he had been wearing around Draco's waist in an attempt to stop the blood. Luckily, it appeared to be working, but Draco was turning much too pale for it to be natural. She ran to his side, grasping his hand. She was still in too much shock to even speak. As she cupped his cheek, Peronel continued her story, evilly smiling at the dying boy. Marilis also came to stand next to her, behind Teddy.

"So now you know, the initial plan was just to get back at my sister. I took you and gave you to an orphanage, later to find you had been adopted by some wretched muggle family. They were some stubborn filth, I must say-"

Before she could even continue, all the pieces clicked in Hermione's head. Her eyes watered as she furiously looked at Peronel.

"You killed them!" She yelled, sobs shaking her body as Peronel smirked at her. It was true.

"Of course I did! But, dear Hermione, that comes later in the story."

Tears slid down Hermione's cheeks, but her nasty sneer still managed to unnerve Marilis, and, though, she didn't show it, her aunt Peronel as well. There was always a certain amount of fear that came with crossing a heroine, but Peronel reassured herself that her plan was fool-proof. This girl was not going to ruin anything else. She was going to watch the only family she had left die. Then maybe her pathetic boyfriend also. Peronel forged on.

"I took you away, only knowing your new name. The orphanage had named you Hermione after the Greek god Hermes, who was known as the cleverest of the gods. Apparently the day you arrived, merely a day old, you already understood them when they asked something of you, if they asked if you were hungry or to stop crying. The stupid muggles were fascinated by your intelligence, and hence your name. It was a few weeks later, when you were adopted, I learned your maiden name would be Granger. And I thought nothing of it for 14 years. Imagine my surprise when I come across the name again in the Daily Prophet, with a teenage girl hugging the Boy-Who-Lived before his task in the Tri-wizard Tournament."

Peronel laughed, though it was clearly humorless.

"From then on, I kept tabs on you. I quickly learned that pitiful baby I had gotten rid of years ago was best friends with the biggest enemy of the Dark Lord. I simply could not believe it. _My niece _was associating with the most awful boy-"

"Harry is nothing but good!" Hermione shouted, tears still streaming down her face, but more from pure rage than sadness. After all, Peronel had said her parent had been stubborn, which meant they must have refused Peronel's wishes. They didn't die in vain. "Harry defeated your Dark Lord, _twice_! And he is the best friend anyone could ever have."

"Aw, how romantic," Peronel emotionlessly stated, rolling her eyes at Hermione's pathetic effort. Pathetic, just like her muggle parents. It was better for Hermione to be a mudblood than a blood traitor to them, anyway. "I learned you were close to this boy, and when my Lord was defeated, I was even more angered that you were a part of it. You helped him. I saw that little book of yours. You were the brains behind the whole operation, it was obvious."

With each sentence, Peronel spun her knife more, her words sounding angrier and her voice getting louder. She was working herself up, and automatically Hermione tensed, knowing her family was directly in the line of fire. Peronel turned to her with a sneer.

"I had fallen in love with him, you know. My Lord. He was cold, and evil, and ambitious. It was everything I wanted. I loved him, and _you _killed him. It was at this time I devised a new plan. One that my late love would have simply admired."

Peronel's eyes glazed over, as if she was receiving praise from an invisible Voldemort. Her mouth twisted it a crooked smile, which would actually have been considered good-looking if not for the evil gleam of her eyes.

"I killed your dirty muggle parents, then I bat you around a bit. _I _sent you those little notes, knowing they would just drive you crazy. I sent my little apprentice here," she motioned towards Marilis, "to watch you and help me when I needed it. For example, she left out my little notes for you to find. One thing I didn't anticipate, however, was you finding my hiding place in Hayfield. I had taken residence in my family's vacation home there."

Peronel looked at Hermione, slight confusion in her eyes, as if she didn't know whether to be impressed by her niece or scream in frustration.

"During both of the Dark Lord's reigns, I used the house for Death-Eater needs. As a meeting place, a motel, a whorehouse, whatever it needed to be. How did you even find it?" Peronel sneered. Hermione sneered back.

"Your little notes were more helpful than you thought. The ink is only made in Hayfield, since they make a personal dye specially for the occupants. Paired with the quality parchment, another specialty of Hayfield, I narrowed it down quickly. Maybe you're not as smart as you think," Hermione jabbed. In retaliation, Phaedra balanced the tip of her blade on Phaedra's shoulder. Hermione automatically regretted her decision. Panic flashed through her eyes.

"Never mind, it's not important. Point is, I got some shots in there before tonight. It deeply appeased me, I hope you know. I _am_ glad that you survived, this had to be done before that could happen."

Peronel continued to walk around, deciding what her next move was. Draco started to splutter, finally showing some signs of living. Hermione cupped his cheek again, frantically trying to catch his unfocused eyes while his mother yelled his name. She heard Peronel chuckling in the background as Hermione's eyes filled with fresh tears.

"So, to finish my story, I am here, to punish my dear niece. I just want to say, I am highly disappointed in your choices. Following the Boy-Who-Lived instead of your own father. Disappointment. What's that, dear?"

William had started to move and fight his bindings harshly at her last words. Peronel laughed and affectionately pat his head like a dog.

"Well, you have been patient through my long tale, so I'll allow you thirty seconds." She removed the silencing charm. He was breathing heavy from his exertions, but he looked at Hermione with calm and determined eyes.

"We are so proud of you, Hermione. Don't doubt that. I never wanted to be a Death-Eater, He forced me into it in exchange for the safety your mother and Theodore." William looked from to his right to look at his wife and son with a kind smile. "We love you, Hermione. We will always be prou-"

He was once again silenced, and Peronel's sneer at him spoke volumes.

"You _disgust _me," she spat, smacking the back of his head harshly in anger. She raised the knife, about to use it. Hermione spit out random words, her mouth repeating what her eyes saw.

"What about Marilis?" She desperately grasped, looking over her brother's shoulder at the bored girl behind him. Her name caught her attention however, and she smiled happily at the recognition.

"I'm sure you remember finding me with Teddy that one night," she started, walking up behind Teddy and pulling his head to rest against her stomach, running her long fingernails across his scalp. He squeezed his eyes shut. "That was how it started out. I just wanted a bit of fun since I moved back here to England from France. And let me say, I did find some fun. Your brother is _quite _talented," Marilis giggled, then bent down next to Teddy and roughly pulled his lips to hers, moaning and groaning loudly to anger Hermione's. Hermione angrily stared at her, for Lucius had moved her hands to Draco's wound so he could try and rip some fabric off a close-by curtain. Peronel didn't seem too concerned with the Malfoys.

Marilis naughtily pulled her mouth away from Teddy's with a final _smack_, smiling down at him like a pumpkin pasty.

"Anyway, when I moved back here to England, I wanted some fun before I had to start finding a man to settle down with. I am a pureblood, after all, it's my duty to produce as heir. And my whole life, my parents had told me my perfect match was none other than Draco Malfoy."

At this, Draco's parents looked at her with disgust. Hermione also sneered, not liking the idea of Marilis coming near her boyfriend.

"So I came back expecting Draco to be waiting for me, when I get the surprise of my life. He's dating the Golden Girl of the universe. Oh, don't think you're only famous in England. Essentially, you saved all of Europe's countries from the reign of the Dark Lord. Of course I was jealous when I first saw your pictures in the Prophet, but a '_match made in heaven'_ like this couldn't possibly last long. I first had it in mind to wait it out."

Marilis turned to Peronel and smiled.

"Then, Peronel found out I was getting close to the Notts. At first she Imperiused me into giving her information, but when the opportunity was presented, I offered her a deal. I would help get close to you, and Peronel would give me Draco. By the way, can you please heal him? He looks like he's lost quite a bit of blood, and I was just playing around."

Peronel smirked at the girl, obviously not wanting to take orders from a teenager, but in the end honored their apparent deal. She raised her wand at shot a couple spells at Draco. When each one hit him, he groaned from the shock, but in seconds, his wound was healed and his skin color was back to normal. It appeared like she even took the time to fix his shirt. His breathing starting to even out and he opened his eyes, blinking a few times now that his eyes were focusing. He grabbed for Hermione's hand, feeling them still pushing against his side. Hermione grabbed in tightly while his mother grabbed the other.

"There," Marilis chirped. "So, we get rid of the Notts now, right?"

"Yes," Peronel smiled, happy to be back on track. "Yes, know is the time."

She pointed her wand at her niece, and Hermione flew across the room, roughly landing in a chair and invisible ropes binding her tightly. She wiggled against them, but whenever she moved, they tightened. The chair moved, and she was pulled in front of her family.

Peronel stepped up to her, as if squaring her up, then placed her hands on the back of the chair, leaning toward Hermione menacingly.

"You are going to watch your family die, then I am going to gut you like the filthy pig you are. You are not a Nott, you are a disgrace, and they are worthless for accepting you."

Hermione was once again shocked. Nothing had seemed _this _serious until now. She was honestly going to watch her family die.

Peronel walked over to her sister, obviously deciding this was where she was going to start. Phaedra hadn't moved much throughout the ordeal, keeping a stoic and calm face. Hermione got the sense she knew her sister wanted a reaction, and she was not planning on giving it until the bitter end.

Hermione's mother was still wearing her dinner dress; a long, red velvet number with long sleeves. She looked stunning in it, even kneeling on the floor.

Peronel bent by her sister, sneering in her face and using her knife to cut the front of her dress. She cut to her bellybutton, leaving her stomach and chest open for torture. Phaedra still did not look worried.

As everyone held their breath, Peronel dragged her blade along Phaedra's skin, waiting for a reaction. Nothing came, Phaedra simply stared ahead.

Peronel growled angrily, poking the tip of her knife into her sister's collarbone and smiled slightly at the stream of blood that fell.

Then, before anyone could do anything, Peronel plunged the knife into her sister's stomach.

**~:~:~:~**

**Sorry this took so long, family troubles and rough start with back to school.**

**Hope you had happy holidays, next chap should be up soon!**

**Love, ~Terra**


	25. Chapter 25: Attack

**Ok, so this chapter is pretty short, but I had this much done and I needed to tell ya'll something.**

**Not that I'm mad, but there are quite a few people out there who are commenting about mistakes made in earlier chapters. I would like to point out I didn't write them, and if you are not happy with them, sorry. I appreciate the original writer for creating this plotline, and while I did change a few things, I have no intention of changing everything. Thank you.**

**Also, a few people PMed and Reviewed about how the last was very OOC for Hermione. My answer; Indeed it was. I'm glad you picked up on it. While a bit explained in this chapter, it will mostly be discussed in the next chapter, but maybe you'll pick up on the situation here too!**

**Ok, so longest Author's Note EVER, sorry. Read on!**

**~:~**

"No!"

Narcissa Malfoy pulled her wand out of an ankle band and shot a curse at Peronel. Narcissa had obviously been keeping her wand hidden and was waiting for a good chance, but she wasn't going to let anyone else get hurt. She had been seconds away from blowing it and healing her son, but this crossed the line.

Unfortunately, Peronel was quick. She dropped her sister and jumped to the side, laughing evilly as the curse hit the wall. She shot a stunner toward Narcissa, only hers was successful. Mrs. Malfoy fell to the ground, barely caught in the arms of her husband. He laid her to the ground and tried to wake her.

Peronel laughed again, but was cut short by her sister. Instead of stuttering on the ground, Phaedra sat, and stared at the knife like an annoying bug. Without a hint of pain, Phaedra pulled the knife out of her stomach and tossed it aside, watching as the cut it had left behind disappear without a trace. She looked up at her sister with vengeance in her eyes.

"I guess it's my turn to do some explaining," she said softly at the confused look of her sister. Hermione guessed Peronel had lost focus in her surprise and the spell on Phaedra had worn off. "After you killed father, William and I created a potion that prevents any physical harm from you. We made it right under your nose, and all it required from you was a strand of your hair. Nothing you do can hurt us. I just…" Phaedra finally showed emotion as her eyes filled with tears. "I never thought something would happen. I thought it was a waste of time."

Peronel looked at her sister with a sneer, clearly not happy with the news. Then, her eyes flitted behind her, and a smile lit her face.

"But I take it this done not apply to your children?" she chirped, reaching over to grab Teddy's hair, then pulling her wand out from her ankle, obviously concealing her magical weapon the same way at Narcissa. Phaedra and William gasped loudly. Hermione sat still, staring out the window. She _had_ to remain calm.

"Don't touch him, Peronel," Phaedra growled sternly, glaring at her sister form the ground.

Hermione was breathing deeply, trying not to snap and say something that might make the situation worse. She felt like it _so _close to over, and she was tied to a chair.

Hermione didn't hear anyone coming up behind her, but she tried her hardest not to jump when she felt large hand wrap around her wrists. Looking straight forward and trying not to look any different, she heard Draco whisper:

"I have my wand, try not to move."

She understood his meaning when the invisible ropes binding her body and wrists were loosened, then gone. He had untied her, but right now was not the time to jump up and play hero. The time was coming. She eagerly looked out the window again.

Draco continued to crouch behind her, softly stroking her forearm to let her know he was there.

"You are in no position to be making threats, Phaedra," Peronel snapped back at her sister, digging her wand deeper into his neck. Teddy took a deep breath, nervously looking over at Hermione. Using her eyes, she motioned toward the window again. He didn't pick up on it.

But he was always good at reading people. Teddy observed as Hermione shoulders slacked, meaning she was relaxed, calm even. It was then he saw a glimpse of blonde hair behind her, then it was gone. Swiftly looking over to the Malfoys, Teddy only saw Lucius cradling Narcissa against a wall, not wanting to anger Peronel by becoming an unnecessary threat. That only left Draco, who had undoubtedly cut Hermione free of her bindings. The more important observation, however, was Hermione's determined and evilly happy eyes.

She had a plan, and it was going exactly as she wanted it.

Teddy visibly relaxed, knowing he could trust his sister. They were all going to be fine.

Peronel jammed her wand further into his neck, effectively forcing Phaedra to back down. It know seemed the only one who didn't know something was going on was Peronel, being that Marilis was slowly backing away from her, closer and closer to the door. The girl knew everything had been far too… tranquil for messing with _the _Hermione Granger.

Hermione leaned her head back and closed her eyes, her nerves starting to rise and the time kept ticking by. Her anger was rising as she watched her mother and crazed aunt argue back and forth. Her eyes spotted her and her family wands on the mantel where her aunt had placed them earlier. The longer she stared at it, the more it started to move, rolling back and forth along the mantel, but it didn't do more than that. But Hermione patience was definitely wearing thin.

"You are awfully quiet over there, Hermione," she heard Peronel spat. She looked up to meet the glare of her aunt.

"You're not going to succeed here, Peronel," Hermione challenged, clenching Draco's hand tightly as Peronel sneered at her.

"And why is that, Hermione?" Peronel asked, tapping the edge of her wand on Teddy's neck to remind her of her situation.

"Because we're not alone," Hermione said calmly. Then, she snapped.

She stood up from her chair and held out her hand, shouting "_Accio _wand!" and quickly disarming Peronel. She then used her wand to push Teddy behind a column next to the mantel. She pushed her parents against the wall.

"Get down!" she shouted as Peronel grabbed her wand and started throwing curses. William covered Phaedra, even though they couldn't be hurt, and Teddy ducked behind the pillar.

"NOW!"

The windows around them burst. As Draco grabbed Hermione to drag her behind the chair with him, one of Peronel's curses hit.

"_Crucio!_"

Hermione fell back into Draco's arms, convulsing dangerously. Pain overloaded all her senses. She didn't notice nearly a dozen Aurors jump through her windows, shooting at her aunt and protecting her family.

The effects of the curse lasted for a good five minutes, as Hermione already well knew, but it didn't make it any harder to fight.

Hermione felt hands squeezing her hands and arms, all of them knowing they just had to wait for the effects to wear off. Her body jumped off the ground as her skin burned, her insides stabbed at her, and the atoms that made her up were jumping right out of her. She felt like she was being ripped apart.

All the sudden, she felt a cold hand stroking her cheek. She leaned into it, her cheek being the only part of her body that felt fine. Then she heard it.

"I love you, 'Mione. I love you so much."

A sob sounded threw her painful cries. She was having the weirdest feeling at that moment; pure happiness mixed with torturous pain. She never wanted to feel it again.

By the time the curse wore off, Hermione was breathing heavy, and her whole body felt damp with sweat. She could feel tears still running down her cheeks, but the moments she started to relax, someone started to wipe them away. Finally, Hermione heard everyone's voices.

"Hermione, oh, darling."

"'Mi, 'Mi! Are you alright?"

"Hermione, my little girl."

Hermione opened her eyes slowly, sweeping them over the smiling faces of her mother, Teddy, and William, then the stoic but happy faces of the Malfoys. She followed the hand still on her cheek, the arm leading her to loving grey eyes. She gave a weak smile to Draco, nuzzling against his hand. She felt her arm being released, her family obviously picking up on her little moment.

Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to pull herself up. Draco quickly helped her until she was leaning against his chest, clutching the front of his shirt with one hand and hugging him with the other. She felt his breath caressing her neck, whispering love sentiments in her ear. Then he said her favourite part again.

"I love you." Hermione eagerly kissed him after that. She loved to hear those words come out of his mouth.

"I love you too," she whispered against his lips. A shadow fell over them.

Hermione finally looked around her. She saw Aurors swarming around her living room, with her dear Aunt Peronel lying on the ground, bound and gagged with three Aurors standing over her. Marilis was nowhere to be seen.

Then, lastly, Hermione looked in front of her, to see a young woman with bright blonde hair and perfectly pale skin. Her kind smile instantly relaxed Hermione.

"I'm Penelope Hadley, and if you are Hermione Nott, I believe we had much to discuss."

Phaedra Nott stared openly at the young woman, not even breathing.

"Phaedra, are you alright?" William questioned, looking over at Peronel with a sneer to make sure she didn't do anything.

"Penelope?" Phaedra gasped, finally beginning to breathe again. Penelope smiled again.

"Hello, Phaedra. I think we also have a lot to talk about."

**~:~:~**

**OOOHH, who is Penelope Hadley? Anyone who knows where she was mentioned gets a dedication, and anyone who can guess who she **_**really**_** is gets to pick a lemony scenario for Draco and Hermione! Review, review, review!**

**Love, ~Terra**

**P.S. sorry again for the short chapter, I just wanted to get it up! Loves.**


	26. Chapter 26: Family Talk

**Hey guys! Sorry its taken long, but one quick announcement.**

**My friend convinced me to get a tumblr, so if you have one, please follow me so I don't feel so alone.**

** alysewinchester . tumblr . com**

**Thanks!**

Everyone sat around the Nott living room, watching patiently as the Aurors wrapped up their scene. They were notified some of the Aurors spread out to look for Marilis, but other than that, it had been fairly calm since they busted in and Hermione had shaken off the curse.

Now, Hermione and Draco were sitting on the loveseat, quietly whispering back and forth while Draco had his arm thrown around her shoulders and she was leaning into his side. William and Phaedra were on the coach, clutching hands and resting into each other, still slightly shaken. The Malfoys were also on the coach, Lucius had his arm around his wife while her hand lay gracefully on his leg. And lastly, Teddy sat in an armchair, sitting across from Penelope sitting in the armchair across from him.

All of them sat quietly, until Auror Jackson and White approached them. Hermione smiled at the first familiar faces she had seen that night. Behind them Peronel yelled angrily as she was silenced once again.

"Peronel has told us information we thought might peek your interest," Auror White said bluntly, looking at Hermione for the go ahead. She nodded toward him. "I'm sure you may be wondering how she is here, being that she has a death certificate for a little over half a month ago. She chalks it up to an altered version of the Sleeping Death potion she found in a journal left behind at the Hayfield house she's been staying in. It lasts five times as long as the regular potion and tamps down the visual signs of having taken the potion so it is nearly impossible to figure out."

Auror White looked backwards at Peronel, clearly disgusted with her.

"She created a plan to get back at Hermione for something Peronel saw as wrong. She believed Hermione was a disgrace to her family line, being that she was the only one aware of Hermione's true heritage. She told you," he motioned toward Phaedra and William, "so she would have more to take away from Hermione. Other than that, a Healer who arrived with us guesses she may be mentally unstable, but we will not be sure until we get her to hospital."

Draco raised his eyebrows and smirked, obviously expecting the state of Peronel's mental health. He held Hermione tighter as Peronel silently snarled at him, nuzzling his nose into her neck to make her angrier. It worked, but the silencing spells on her caused the Aurors to not notice.

"Thank, Aurors," Hermione said quietly. Ever since the Cruciatus had worn off, she had been oddly silent and unfocused. Draco only guessed it was her way of processing, but he shivered at the thought of her trapping herself in her head all by herself. _Maybe someone else should be in her to keep her company_, he thought with a smirk, lovingly stroking her upper thigh at the thought.

The Aurors head off, leaving the other ten to do damage control and take some statements. Other than that, the silent group continued to sit in silence, almost like they were daring each other to speak first. Finally, Phaedra sighed.

"Maybe we should relocate to the kitchen for some late tea," she suggested, and everyone responded by getting up and heading in that direction.

Phaedra and Narcissa moved in perfect tandem to make the tea, skirting around each other to make multiple pots. At last, it was ready and everyone sat around the dining room table.

"I guess I should start." The statement surprisingly came from Penelope Hadley. No one had seen her before, but Hermione was very aware, from reading the Ministry over and over again, that this was the woman who had found her parents. She was a witch who lived nearby and went over every day for tea. And Hermione knew why she was here.

Penelope hopped up, obviously a very active and energetic woman in her youth. Her eyes scanned the small crowd, silently chewing on her words before speaking. She looked to Hermione first.

"I take it no one knew I was coming?"

Immediately, everyone's eyes swiveled to Hermione. She bit her lip, and then shook her head. Penelope nodded.

"Well, then, hi everyone," Penelope waved her fingers, only met with stoic faces waiting for answers. Penelope sighed, slightly defeated. "I received an owl yesterday asking if I could meet Hermione here so she could ask more about her parents. Hermione told me she had noticed in the Auror reports I said I was close with Mr. and Mrs. Granger. She asked me to come over at eight tonight."

Penelope looked at the clock, pointing out it was nearly ten at night now. Hermione immediately turned to her left, where Draco was sitting next to her. He was limply holding their hands in his lap, looking down as he played with her fingers. A wave of guilt flew over her, and it hit her hard, even though she had been expecting it.

"Draco, I—"

"I understand," He quickly told her, but still not looking up. Hermione squeezed his hand desperately. He looked up at her and slightly smiled.

"You're the brightest witch of our age, 'Mione. I knew you wouldn't leave it alone. I just… I'm sorry you got hurt."

Hermione bit her lip as her eyes watered, placing her hand on his cheek. Draco leaned into it, and then tilted forward to touch his forehead against hers.

"I love you, Draco," Hermione hiccupped, stroking his cheek softly. He chuckled.

"I love you too."

"What?!"

Draco and Hermione immediately looked up, quickly discovering it was not their moment that caused Phaedra to be upset, but rather Penelope, who was staring at Mrs. Nott with a soft smile and sad eyes.

"Yeah, Phaedra. I know we have never officially met, or at least that I remembered, but I'm your uh… your baby sister. Penelope Hadley."

Phaedra sat, stunned. She gazed at Penelope with so much emotion in her eyes, Penelope looked down and for the first time that night looked nervous. Hermione saw the similarities almost instantaneously, and wondered how she missed them. Penelope had blonde hair, thought lighter than her sisters, and telltale blue eyes.

"Phaedra… Hadley was your maiden name…" William whispered, seemingly as much shocked as his wife.

Teddy was staring at her too, thinking hard like questioning her existence. Penelope giggled lightly and ruffled his hair.

"Hard to believe I was an aunt at age 10."

"But, Penelope…" Just with the name coming out of her mouth, Phaedra launched herself at her little sister, dramatically sobbing into her hair as she pulled her into her chest. At the show of positive emotion, Penelope started crying too, but was laughing along with it. She wanted everyone to know they were happy tears.

The long-lost sisters stood hugging each other for many minutes, shoving out the world and holding each other. Finally, Phaedra asked a question she was dying to know.

"Penelope, where is mother? Is she well? Does she want to meet Theodore and Hermione?"

Penelope faced morphed a few times; first confusion, then understanding, lastly pity.

"Phaedra, Peronel killed her eighteen years ago."

Phaedra sobbed, throwing her hand over her mouth and collapsing into William's lap. He immediately shushed her, as if he knew exactly what she was feeling. Hermione guessed that Phaedra had spoken of reuniting with her mother for ages, and this was a disappointment to her. But deep down, she had to have known it was true. With no word or contact all this time, the thought had to have crossed her mind. Penelope sadly continued explaining.

"When you were about to have Hermione, mother got an owl from Peronel saying she wanted to meet me. Peronel said she was lonely, since father was dead, we were in hiding, and you wouldn't talk to her. Mother fell for it. She gave Peronel our location and told her to come at night with no one else. Instead, Peronel showed up demanding we come back with her and help her… dispose of your baby."

Phaedra gasped, looking at Hermione as if she were still in danger. Hermione smiled lightly at her, trying to reassure her. Hermione leaned into Draco more when his arm tightened around her. Penelope cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"Mother hadn't known you were pregnant, but just upon hearing about it, she was determined to keep you and the baby safe. She refused to, and tried to send Peronel away."

Penelope took a deep breath.

"I don't think I've ever been more scared in my life. Peronel went crazy. She hit mother with a curse, which I later learned was the Cruciatus. Mother threw her wand at me, but I wouldn't leave. Eventually, Peronel killed her. She stared down at with such disgust…"

Penelope's voice started to crack, but she took another deep breath and forged on quickly.

"Peronel started running after me, but I used mother's wand to get out. Mother had taught me as much as she could about the Wizarding world under our… circumstances. I knew that a small pub down the street from our place had a Floo system in the proprietor's office. I ran there and Flooed to the first place I could think of, which was another pub close to your house." Penelope motioned towards Phaedra, meaning close to their first home.

"Mother had told me to go to you in case of emergency, and I counted this as such. But when I got here…"

Penelope's eyes spaced out, and she said her next words with spiteful emotion.

"Peronel was carrying a baby out of your house, and I heard you crying."

Everyone collectively gasped as they realized Penelope had witnessed Hermione's kidnapping. Hermione bit her lip, slightly uncomfortable with discussing her abduction. Draco tucked her under his arm further.

"I went back to mother. She always kept things underneath her mattress, and told me to only get them out in an emergency. I, of course, counted this as such. It was an emergency contact for a second cousin in France, so I packed up my stuff and Flooed there. They didn't say anything, just showed me to my room and told me they'd take care of my mother. The next year I went to Beauxbaton with their daughter, and the rest, as they say, is history." Penelope finished heavily, her eyes betraying her mind, which was obviously swimming in her past.

Phaedra grabbed her sister's hand, squeezing tightly. Penelope smiled at her, then quickly told the rest of her story while grasping her sister's hand.

"I moved the Australia when the Dark Lord rose again. I didn't want to be sought after because of father or Peronel. I got a muggle job as an accountant, and luckily, I discovered shortly after that my boss was a wizard as well. He ordered the Daily Prophet for me so I could keep up with what was going on in Britain, waiting until I could go back. When it finally happened, I couldn't leave."

Penelope had a ghost of a smile as she looked at her sister guiltily.

"I think I fell in love. My boss, Zack, he's only a year older than me, and after we discovered we were both magic we spent a lot of time together. I didn't want to just get up and leave when our relationship seemed to be going so well but… when the Grangers were killed and I heard about Hermione actually being a Nott, and having solid information that some of my family had survived, I knew I had to come back. I came back to finally meet you, Phaedra, and to get to know my brother-in-law, my niece and nephew…"

She trailed off happily as she playfully ruffled Teddy's hair.

"And that's my story. Any questions?"

~:~:~:~:~:~

**Wow, that took a lot longer than it was supposed to. I sincerely apologize, but I've been uber busy last couple weeks, and this was the first chance I had to sit down and make it happen!**

**So, as you can now tell, a lot of you guessed it! Penelope Hadley is Phaedra's long-lost little sister. The following names are the ones who guessed and get to give me a little PWP idea for the next few chapters…**

**-Secret Hopeless Romantic **

**- Izz Fizz**

**- grey eyes lover**

**- shaymars**

**- ashes10**

**- Lyss300**

**- LolqueEn460**

**Wow, that's alotta smut bout to happen, my dear readers. Get Ready!**

**Also, because only TWO people knew where Penelope was from, I'm gonna let them suggest a lemony-plot to me too! So, Guest and Grey Eyes Lover, give me something!**

**Thanks guys! Get those ideas in ASAP for a faster update!**

**Love, ~Terra**


	27. Chapter 27: Love

"I'll be fine, Draco," Hermione promised, squeezing his hands as she stared into his eyes. Draco looked back at her pleadingly.

"Just let me go with you."

"No. I told you, I need to do this alone."

Draco nodded, having already had this conversation with her three times. He chastely kissed her, before hugging her tightly to him and letting her go.

She left him in the front lobby of Azkaban as a guard took her inside. She was here to see her aunt, a week after she had trespassed in her house and attempted to murder her family. She had a few things to ask about, things she needed to ask alone.

She knew this was a bad idea. She was willingly walking into a prison half-filled with people who would not think twice about killing 1/3rd of the reason they were imprisoned in the first place. And all to see her psycho aunt. Hermione hoped her muddled brain would at least appreciate this.

The guard walked her through multiple corridors, passing halls with occupants smiling creepily at her or sneering cruelly, either perverted old men seeing a pretty teenage girl or ex-death-eaters spotting the one and only Hermione Granger. But she wouldn't let them bother her.

Finally, the guard opened a door and let her into a small elevator. They rode up for a few minutes up, then were let out in an even smaller room, only containing a small table and another guard attentively watching through a window down the hall before them.

"This is where she is being kept," the guard stiffly told her. "Only one persons is allowed in at a time to avoid too much of a commotion. Both of us will be watching in case anything happens, but the bars are enforced with multiple spells, just _do not _go past the line."

With the simple instructions spoken, the guard opened the door into the corridor and Hermione walked through. She heard the guard quickly tell her to go to the end cell before he closed the door, sealing her in.

Hermione slowly walked down the hallway, nervously trying to silence her echoing footsteps. At the sound of a human being, a few of the other prisoners started making noise, looking out of the bars to see a young teenage girl. Hermione almost lost her nerve as she passed cell after cell of old Death-Eaters, grinning toothily at her as they realized what had just stepped through the door. Hermione scooted even closer to the far wall, being that all the cells were situated on the left, as she passed by the cell of Rudolphus Lestrange. He leered at her.

"What, girlie, come back for more?"

Hermione shivered as she remembered fifth year, their attack at the Department of Mysteries. Lestrange had been the one assigned to restraining her, and he hadn't been shy in his eagerness. He had grinded against her backside while simultaneously digging his wand against her side, making sure she couldn't do anything. At the first sign of escape, she had whipped around and knocked him out, running away from him as fast as she could. The day had haunted her for ages, and seeing his face again brought her great discomfort as she speedily walked by his cell, ignoring his calls.

The last cell brought the first quiet prisoner, sitting on her lumpy mattress in a striped dress, staring straight ahead. Hermione didn't disturb her, silently deciding she would leave if Peronel didn't talk soon. It didn't take long.

"Hello, my darling niece," her calm voice called. Hermione swallowed, but didn't respond. She set herself to observe for a moment before talking.

"Come to visit me? Possibly use your famous status to get your sweet aunt a lift out of here?" Peronel looked at Hermione with a smirk and playful eyes. Hermione guessed her week hadn't given opportunities for verbal sparring.

"Did you _Imperius _Ron to help do your bidding?" Hermione asked. She wasn't amused when Peronel stood, walked toward the bars, and put her pointer finger to her chin.

"Ron? What a ghastly name. I believe I would remember a name as awful as that."

Hermione grit her teeth, not wanting to let her aunt get to her.

"Ronald Weasley, my _friend_. Ever since I joined my family he has been acting strangely, and I know you did something to him."

"Ronald Weasley… Oh yes, I'm getting a picture now! The blasted Weasleys, the annoying rodents with the red hair. Yes, the boy from your year. I know him." Peronel smiled evilly. "My dear Hermione, you guessed right. I _did _use him."

This time, Peronel caught Hermione's jaw tensing, and the angry fire that ignited in her eyes. She smiled wider.

"At first it was just fun. His opinion mattered so much to you, and it was entertaining watching your heart break over a blood traitor. Then, I found a better use for him. He knew where the little bastard lived. I told him to break into his house and steal anything he found useful for me."

Peronel laughed happily as Hermione growled, having quickly realized Ron had been the attacker in Harry's house.

"That's how I learned that cute little trick, what was it? Oh yes, _Sectumsepra._" Peronel repeated the curse with a twinkle in her eye as Hermione slightly shook, half from reliving the pain, half from her mounting anger.

"That on definitely came in handy, didn't it, Hermione? Did you have fun in the hospital?" Peronel laughed.

Without thinking Hermione leaned forward, fully intending on reminding her _dear_ aunt who was in the cage. But she was caught by surprise.

Peronel slithered her arm through the tight bars, grabbing Hermione's neck tightly and pulling her against her cells poles. Hermione gasped for breath, still in a bit of shock. Peronel leaned in menacingly, tightening her hands hold, then smirked.

"Bad move, my dear."

"Hermione!"

It took less than five seconds for Peronel to be flying back against her cell wall. Peronel slumped to the ground heavily, and Hermione was pulled into Draco's arms.

"Hermione, are you okay?" Draco demanded, running his fingers through hair and hugging her tighter.

"I'm fine, Draco, I promise," Hermione said quietly, leaning into his embrace and rubbing her hand along her throat. She heard Draco growl and Peronel moved slightly against the wall.

"You better not take another damn step, Peronel. The guard gave me permission to knock you out for a month," Draco threatened lowly. Peronel chuckled weakly.

"Ooh, look at this. I've hit rock bottom; finally been threatened by boy who swears he's in love. Watch out, though, she comes with dangerous company." Peronel laughed again loudly, like her joke was the funniest she had ever made.

"Nothing I can't handle."

Peronel was hit again, harshly banging her head against the wall and knocking her out cold. Hermione huffed against Draco's chest, happy he had shut the woman up.

"Let's go," Draco said, pulling her down the hallway before she could reply. Hermione didn't question him, her beaten conscious not able to fight back anymore. She may not have known Peronel very well, but Hermione was loyal to anyone who could possibly share her bloodline. She didn't like seeing someone from her family tree locked behind these grimy bars.

As they passed Rudolphus, Hermione visibly flinched when he chuckled evilly, staring at her from his relaxed recline on his bed.

"Little Malfoy, what a pleasure. You've got a nice piece of meat on your arm there, but would like to truly sample her when you're done."

Draco violently slammed against the bars with his wand pointing out as his uncle chuckled some more.

"Such anger. Don't let it get out of hand, if you get locked up in here she's left unguarded. Just imagine what… _bad things _could happen to her while you're gone!"

Draco reached for him again, but Hermione grabbed his hand and tried to tug him away.

"Draco, stop it! Stop! He's not worth it! Draco!"

One look at her watering eyes and Draco tore himself away from the bars, hugging Hermione to his body tightly and running his fingers through her hair to calm himself down.

"I'm sorry, baby," he sighed quietly, breathing deeply against her hairline. She just hugged him equally as tight, rubbing her nose into his neck lovingly.

"Aw, how sweet. Though my personal preference in BDSM if you want to give me a show."

Draco shook in Hermione's arms before grabbing her hand and starting to pull her toward the end of the hallway. But her tormentor took one more shot.

He reached out and grabbed her other arm while in was swinging past the barrier. She temporarily pulled against the bars as Rudolphus arrogantly caressed her face. Draco finally snapped and hit him with a stunner, tearing his hands off of his girlfriend and sweeping her up into his arms. He stormed toward the exit, not even looking at the guards as he carried her to the elevator and watched the doors close.

Hermione wrapped her arms around Draco's neck and leaned her head into his neck, still thinking about her confrontation with Peronel. Draco grabbed her tighter.

"At least it's over," he said quietly, trying to lighten her mood.

"At least it's over," she repeated solemnly, then looked up at him. She reached up and kissed him chastely, taking comfort in the effortless movement of his lips.

They quickly exited the elevator and Draco Side-Along Apparated them out from the lobby, silently promising himself he would never leave Hermione alone like that again.

~:~:~:~:~

The next morning found Hermione sat at one of the comfy chairs by her window, holding her knees to her chest and staring out the pane at the cloudy sky and light drizzle across her large, green backyard. She sat in a tank top and silky shorts, having just woken up a short while ago. She could feel Draco's eyes on her from his position on her bed, him having spent the night with her. They hadn't done anything really, only snogged for a short bit before falling asleep from emotional exhaustion.

She heard him move the duvet from his person before lightly padding over to sit in the chair opposite from hers, leaning his chin in hand and gazing at her.

"You okay?" He asked softly, quickly observing her professional-looking posture. She looked at him questionably.

She put her feet on the ground and moved over to his seat, staring at him decisively.

"I'm fine," she replied evenly, trying to gauche his reaction. He stared back at her just as evenly, finding it effortless from his many years of Slytherin indifference. Finally, she gave him a small smile.

"I'm fine," she said with more emotion, tilting her head in an adorable manner and smiling wider. This made Draco smile a little bit.

"That's good," he said back, starting to angle his body towards her more to truly become involved in the potential conversation.

"I decided worrying about Peronel isn't worth it. She's in Azkaban for the rest of her life. There is nothing more she can do to me, and if she finds something, I know you'll be by my side. I know I'll be alright."

Draco smiled wider, reaching out the grab her hand and lace their fingers together.

"I'm glad you know that now. But I won't let anything happen to you. Ever."

Hermione kissed the back of his hand before letting it go. "I know."

Before Draco could say anything else, Hermione hooked her thumbs around her pajama pants and pushed them down, giving Draco a view of her small bikini knickers. His eyebrows shot up at her forwardness, but he didn't stop her.

Hermione seductively pulled at her spaghetti straps, biting her lip as they slid down her shoulders. She watched happily as a tent started to form in Draco's boxers, and his eyes light with a lust-filled fire.

She reached for the hem of her tank top, slowly letting it rise up her stomach. Draco watched, entranced, as her tank top was dropped at his feet. Her underwear shimmied down her legs, leaving its owner bare to the eyes of her boyfriend. His tent grew considerably bigger as she pulled her hair down from the hairband and let her curls frame her curves as they fell to the middle of her back.

She languidly stepped closer to him, twirling a piece of hair around her finger sexily. She reached forward to grab the edge of his white undershirt, swiftly pulling it over his head as he leaned forward effortlessly. Once the shirt joined the small clothing pile, Hermione threw her leg over his lap, straddling him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Draco grabbed her naked hips, lightly running his fingertips up and down her sides. Hermione leaned forward and kissed him hotly, rubbing her core against his hard member.

"I love you," she promised against his lips, smoothing her hands over his defined chest. Draco wrapped his arms around her lower back and pulled her closer to him, the bare skin of their chests rubbing against each other. He then moved one of his hands to cup her cheek to look deeply in her eyes.

"And I love you," he whispered, his thumb tracing over her plump lips. Hermione leaned towards him more, and their lips met in the middle. Hermione tangled her hands at the nape of his neck, the hair there started to curl from growing it out. She pushed his mouth closer to hers, hungrily entwining their tongues and taking what she wanted.

Draco moved his hands to her smooth thighs, lightly tracing them back and forth. On each pass his fingertips moved closer to kitty, making her wet with anticipation.

Draco moved his lips to her jawbone, placing hot kisses to her cool skin, then nipping lightly at her pulse point. Hermione moaned softly, wiggling against his lap. Then, finally, Draco's fingers traced her lower lips, giving her his coveted touch. Of course, his touch was purely hers now.

His fingers danced over her clit, playfully rubbing circles around it while his girlfriend whimpered and squirmed on top of him. Draco moved his mouth the side of her neck, nipping and sucking as he pleased while she was wrapped up in her pleasure.

"Dray… please, just…_ah_," Hermione panted longingly, tilting her hips forward even more to encourage penetration. Draco must have agreed.

He grabbed her bum and pulled her onto her knees, looking up at her like she as the only girl in the world. Hermione was confused at first, but then she saw Draco grab the elastic of his boxers and begin to pull them down. Hermione smiled, then pulled his lips to her own.

Draco grasped her hips again, scooting her body forward a bit before slowly lowering her down. His crown nestled between her lips, and he groaned against her mouth. Draco slowly pulled her onto him, savoring the way she squeezed him the deeper he went. Finally, he buried himself to the hilt. Hermione lost her breath.

Their coupling was slow and heartfelt, the soft rain outside the music they pounded away to. Hermione saw the grey clouds reflected in Draco's lust-filled eyes, and she knew he had only ever looked at her that way. He had admitted to being in lust before, but never before in love. Draco had a name from his sexual tendencies back at school, and Hermione laughed as she remembered rolling her eyes for the past six years regarding his popular status among Hogwart's women. Now, she truly understood. He was _good. _And all, one hundred percent hers. After years of hating and spiting, the two of them had managed to fall in love; a fiery, passionate, comfortable love that nobody could have ever expected for either of them.

As Draco grasped tighter to her hips, she kissed him again. She portrayed all her love and admiration for him in that one kiss, wanting him to know everything there was to know about her feeling for him. He responded in kind, his rhythm becoming jerky as he was miserably distracted. It didn't take long for them both to find their release, finding this one of the most physically and mentally satisfying couplings they had ever had.

Hermione laid her head on Draco's shoulder, and they silently watched the rain fall over the lawn, peacefully dripping of the trees and flower pedals.

They snuggled against each other, and Draco summoned a blanket over to cover Hermione's naked back, causing her to fall asleep quickly. Draco just held her, knowing this was something he could definitely get used to.

**~:~:~:~:~:~**

**Sorry it took so long, but I need your help.**

**This story seems to be coming to a close, so here's the predicament. I have an idea for this, and wouldn't mind continuing it if it's wanted. **

**I have a poll up on my profile (or I hope its working) so vote yes or no on me continuing. **

**If you want to know the idea, PM me and I'll tell.**

**Thanks and many loves!**

**~Terra**

**P.S. the poll will be open for two weeks, then I post a new chapter.**


	28. Chapter 28: The Scene

**IMPORTANT: I meant to put this in the conversation with Peronel in Azkaban, but I forgot and don't want to fit it in anywhere so I'm explaining it now. Lucius' wand code was found at the Grangers' crime scene because Marilis stole it for Peronel to use, just to throw the blame somewhere. Marilis used to be a neighbor of the Malfoys' so she was aware of the way to get past the door when they are not home. So there, now you know.**

**Also, I want everyone to know on my poll, 'Yes' referred to continuing **_**this **_**story, while 'Write a Sequel' means starting a whole new story. I have decided to continue no matter what, but I still can't decide about this thing, so keep voting!**

~:~:~

Theo Nott was never a very social person. It was luck of the draw he had as many friends as he did, and could count on one hand how many he actually trusted. And it was the blind trust he had in one certain friend that he was sure would lead to his downfall.

How in the world had he managed to let Draco Malfoy, Prince of Slytherin and known partier of any kind, convince him to go out for a "guy's night"? He should have known this is where it'd lead.

Theo observed his blonde friend as he surveyed the club, probably looking for anyone he deemed worthy of their attentions.

"Why are we here, again?" He groaned, taking a burning shot of tequila to try and forget this whole thing. Draco laughed good-naturedly.

"Look, Marilis was bitch enough for trying to grab a taken man, but there is no way I'm letting _it_ ruin my best friend's love life. Now, see anything you like?"

Theo rolled his eyes again, signaling for another shot.

"So you mean my lovely sister decided I needed to get out of the house?"

Draco laughed again. "Just lovely? Beautiful, gorgeous, hot, sexy-"

"Okay stop!"

_He is having way too much fun_, Teddy thought grimly, downing his second shot quickly, then scrunching his nose at the immediate burn.

"There they are!"

Theo looked up to see where Draco was pointing, then ducked his head again when he spotted the group of Slytherins making their way towards him and Draco. He felt a strong pat on his shoulder.

"Hey Theo! Any plans tonight?" Theo looked up to see the smiling face of Blaise Zabini. He watched as his friend flashed his pearly whites, a deep contrast to his dark skin, and winked at a girl over his shoulder.

"Apparently I do," Theo sighed, palming his glass of rum and coke thoughtfully. He felt Draco come to his left.

"_Of course _you do. I called in Blaise for a bit of backup, you see, when we put our heads together we make quite a team. You remember the last girl we found you in Hogsmeade? You ended up seeing her for the rest of the year!"

"Tania and I had a mutual interest in non-committal satisfaction. You know how hard that is to find in a house like Slytherin. All the pure-breed woman want is a rich lad dumb enough to get them pregnant. It had nothing to do with you," Teddy snapped, pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing heavily as he took a sip of his drink. He really didn't want to be here, or listen to Draco and Blaise take credit for hooking him up with Tania _again. _

"Calm down bro, we're just trying to help," Blaise laughed, not taking his snippy comment personal at all.

"Come on Teddy," Draco joked, punching him playfully in the arm.

"Don't call me Teddy," Theo bit, knowing full well Draco knew he only let his family call him that.

"Really, Draco, it's a family thing."

The boys turned to find a very attractive brunette standing behind them with a smile. Draco hungrily raked his eyes over her. Her hair was wild, resembling a lion's mane in all its ferocity. The gorgeous mass framed her dangerous features. Her makeup was done to enhance her attributes; a dark shadow highlighting her strong cheekbones, sparkly silver decorating her eyelids, black as night mascara lining her startling brown eyes.

Draco's eyes quickly moved down her body. She had stylishly dressed herself in a halter dress. The top hung loose around her figure, the white silk tickling her sides and the neckline dipping low between her ample breasts. The bottom was a golden spandex skirt circling her hips, hugging tight to her curves and ending at her upper thighs. She ended it with a sexy pair of strappy black pumps that made her legs go on for miles.

"You're drooling, Drake," Teddy said dryly, staring down into his cup. Hermione smiled.

"Hey Teddy." She strutted over to her brother, shouldering Draco out of the way to place a kiss on his cheek. Teddy grimaced at his sister.

"I thought you were going to the muggle cinema with your friends," he huffed, wondering what she was doing here, and why she chose to wear _that_. Hermione smirked, then turned the bar.

"Shot, please!" Her exuberant voice rang out, and her tequila placed in front of her before she could blink. She tapped it against the bar and threw it back, the liquid energy running down through her veins and making her body sway sexily to the music. Draco was entranced, and Teddy could tell.

"I brought something for you," Hermione nudged her brother, smiling widely in her excitement.

"Oh really?" He asked, looking at Draco accursedly like he planned it all. His friend held his hands up in surrender.

"Yes!" Hermione said happily, turning to the teenage crowd of the club to wave someone over. "I seem to recall a conversation we had when I first moved in about your preferences. You want a girl with character, who has her own mind and doesn't care what people think of her, marvelously kind, and most important, knows how to have fun. Well, guess what, brother?"

Hermione tapped his nose playfully, her eyes twinkling like they do when she knows she's right.

"I found you the perfect girl. You know Luna Lovegood, right?"

Teddy turned in his seat to find a petite blonde smiling attractively at him, holding a beer in one hand while playing with her hair with the other. She opted for cute club attire rather than sexy, wearing a white tube top and simple black skirt that fell to her mid-thigh. She paired it with a fashionable dangly necklace that discretely drew eyes to her cleavage. She looked appropriate yet flirty at the same time, and that was something Teddy could appreciate.

He nodded his head, half on greeting and half in acceptance. He would work with her. Hermione smiled again.

"Great! You guys just…talk, I'll be on the floor."

With that, Hermione grabbed Draco's hand and lead him away, loosely entwining their fingers and swaying her hips a little more than she should.

They walked over to a high table that was marked with a few beers and jackets. Hermione hopped onto the closest chair and spread her legs, pulling Draco's body into the opening. Draco was simply astounded at her forwardness tonight; the dress, the drinking, and openly abusing her sexuality for him. He knew tonight was going to be mind-blowing, and the anticipation was already killing him.

Hermione leaned forward, wrapping her bare arms around his shoulders and brushing her lips against his ear.

"You were going clubbing without me?" She asked him in a pure dominatrix voice, nipping and sucking at his ear.

"Just for Theo, I wasn't going to touch anyone," he promised, following this with a moan as she shoved her hips closer to his. He slumped forward against her, leaning his palms on the back of the stool. Hermione bit his earlobe harshly, then sucked on it softly, clearly showing who the dominant one was tonight.

"I know you wouldn't, you're a good boy." Hermione let go of his ear with a final lick, hearing Draco's soft protests and seeing his eyes were closed in pleasure. "And good boys get rewarded, right?"

Draco greedily nodded his head, longing for her touch again. Instead, he was pushed back as Hermione descended from her thrown and pulled him by the collar of his shirt to the dance floor. Just her presence parted the crowd; all the young adults amazed to see the celebrities acting so freely in a nightclub, but they quickly went back to dancing.

Hermione pulled him into the middle of the heat, for some reason she couldn't explain completely enjoying the attention she was receiving, both from her popularity and her delightfully well dressed date.

Hermione was immediately swept up in the beat, her hips moving in time to the loud drum in the music. She grabbed Draco's hands and put them on her hips, hugging him closely until they were moving to the same rhythm. Draco was once against entranced by her free spirit, whipping her hair around in pure happiness and moving against him like a woman deprived. He hugged her even tighter, systematically rolling his hips against her stomach and he grew more and more turned on.

A new song came on, and Hermione looked at Draco with excitement in her eyes as she recognized the vocals. She threw her head back and laughed happily.

"This is one of my favorite songs!" She yelled, twisting her body around in his embrace until she faced the opposite direction. It didn't take a genius to figure out her intentions.

She reached up and hooked her arms around his neck, resting her head against his shoulder and beginning to gyrate her hips in time with the beat. She rubbed right against him, practically shining with power at the sound of his pleasured groans.

Hermione felt his hands move from her hips to the front of her thighs, splaying his fingers across them and pushing her closer to him. He stared down at her, watching as she swayed happily to the song, occasionally whispering the lyrics and grinding harder to the seductive beat. Draco really listened as he saw her lips mouthing the words, recognizing the emotion the singer seemed to be longing for. He heard Hermione's voice again.

"_So grab me by the neck and don't you ever let go, mess me up so good until I'm beggin' for more, you'll tear me apart like an animal…" _

Hermione arched her back, practically begging for Draco to touch her more.

"…_like an animal…"_

Draco gave into her, allowing his hands to roam around her abdomen, but not any further.

"… _animal."_

He touched her lovingly, rubbing against her right hip, as he knew it was a secret turn-on spot for her. She moaned longingly, clinging to his neck and crushing their hips together.

Hermione suddenly flipped around, meeting his lips hotly. She invaded his mouth, running her tongue around his mouth and nibbling on his lips. Hermione grabbed onto his hair, pulling him towards her even more, causing him to groan and give into her submissively.

She lifted her right leg, pushing their cores together and moaning loudly. The couple roughly grinded against each other, oblivious to a whole club of young Wizarding teens watching them. They were the hottest couple of the time, according to Witch Weekly.

Draco quickly got very tired of their foreplay. He wanted her. _Now._

In the same fashion she had before, he grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled them out of the crowd, smiling when he heard Hermione's whines of disapproval.

He dragged them back to the table, quickly placing her jacket around her shoulders, once again admiring her delicious choice of outfit. He found the exit and waved at Teddy, but he didn't seem to notice as he continued to converse with Luna. Draco noticed Hermione smiling at them and he pulled them out the door and Apparted them to his room.

~:~:~:~

Both the Notts and Malfoy knew their parents were spending the evening in London, relaxing after the ordeal they all had to endure. It was the reason their children had secretly gone clubbing, not that their parents guessed they wouldn't.

Therefore, Draco knew his house was empty, and he didn't care about the noise they were making as he slammed Hermione against his wall and reattached their lips.

They made out for many minutes, feeling each other and quickly getting reacquainted with their bodies. It was Hermione, unsurprisedly, who finally unbuttoned his pants and pushed them down his hips aggressively.

Draco laughed, and then began to kiss her neck as he pushed them down the rest of the way, kicking off his shoes in the process. Hermione once again carded her fingers though his hair as he bit her skin, no doubt leaving little love bites for her to find later.

Hermione went after the hem of his shirt next. It was a thin, black, mesh shirt that showed off his fit chest and stomach, and Hermione absolutely loves it. But she liked seeing it without the coverings better.

Once Draco was left in his boxers, he kissed his way down her body, still holding her against the wall. Hermione moaned gratefully at his attentions. Draco kissed down her smooth legs, then removed her pumps and threw them behind him. As he stood back up, he grabbed the edge of her dress of pulled the tiny thing over her head, and stared.

She wasn't wearing anything.

Hermione grinned naughtily at him.

"I've gotten much more adventurous since I started dating you, haven't I?" She smiled, curling her hair around her fingers. Draco grinned down at her.

"I like it," he replied with a husky voice, and then stripped off his boxers.

It was a matter of seconds before Hermione felt him filling her again, and it felt _amazing_. Like every other time, but even better with this adrenaline they had.

Draco bit her ear, and then began thrusting in and out of her before returning to her mouth.

Hermione hopped up when his hands met her thighs, wrapping her legs around his waist and meeting his powerful thrusts as they rhythmatically came. Hermione had never felt so out of control as she had in that moment.

It didn't take long for the pair of them to find their release, the sexually-charged atmosphere enough to make their nerves stand on end. It was a powerful one for both of them, and they were left panting into each other's neck, lovingly kissing any skin they could find.

"That was incredible," Hermione gasped, running her fingers through Draco's sweaty hair. He leaned into her hand.

"It's the club. I swear they sneak lust potions into the drinks to make people come back," he panted. Hermione could tell he was just babbling, still in the aftershock of the extraordinary orgasm they just experienced together.

"We'll have to drink a bit when we go back then," Hermione giggled, leaning forward the peck Draco's lips. That seemed to set him off.

He carried her to his bed and proceeded to make her breathless again. Eventually, they got dressed so Hermione could Apparate back home. They both knew Draco's parents wouldn't mind if he was out all night, but with Hermione being the Nott's only (and long lost) daughter, they had gotten very protective of her as of late. Hermione almost made Draco forget about it when she came out of the bathroom in a old Hogwarts sweater he kept in his closet. It hung off her shoulder and barely hit midthigh. Draco quickly grabbed her and Apparated them to her house.

He made love to her in the emerald green sweater, then they cuddled against each other, falling asleep after a long night of soft alcohol and hard sex.


	29. Chapter 29: The Offer

Teddy sighed as he flung open the heavy curtains, shining light into his sister's room. He watched as the couple in bed rolled around, trying to escape the beam, groaning angrily all the while. He saw Draco sit up and stare at him with sleep-filled eyes.

"Dammit, Theo! What the hell do you want?" He mumbled crossly, curling his arm around Hermione's back as she cuddled her face against his chest to hide from the sunshine.

"Morning to you too," Teddy huffed, sitting in a chair and tapping three envelopes against the table.

"What, Teddy?" He heard Hermione whine as she stumbled out of bed in Draco's Slytherin sweater and unceremoniously sat on the edge of the table. She eyed the letters when Teddy started to tap them again.

"We've received letters from Hogwarts. School doesn't start for another month, so don't you find it odd we are receiving letters two weeks before we are supposed to? Care to find out?"

Hermione's eyes lit up as Teddy posed the questions. He could see she wanted to know just as badly. Draco finally slunk over after putting his boxers on and reached for the letters, grabbing them out of Teddy's hand and looking at their names written in elegant black calligraphy. He silently passed them out, and the trio looked at each other before ripping the flap open and pulling out the parchment inside. Their eyes slowly scanned their pages, and then they all looked at each other.

"Professor McGonagall wants to see me for lunch today," Hermione said, looking at the other two for confirmation, as she suspected they had identical letters.

"Me too," Draco sighed, folding his letter and leaning against the wall.

"Me three," Teddy whispered, obviously deep in thought about the letter. Hermione looked at the grandfather clock against her wall.

"It's nearly eleven, I'll owl her back and we should start getting ready. Let's plan on Flooing over at 11:55. 'Kay?"

The boys nodded. Teddy stood up and walked out, obviously heading to his room. Draco walked over to her chair and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, resting his chin on the crown of her head.

"Are you worried?" He asked quietly, sensing her nervous mood. Hermione looked up at him.

"I think we should get ready and go find out," she replied smoothly, though clearly was worrying a bit. Draco kissed her neck sweetly, then grabbed the edge of his sweater and pulled it off her.

"Hey!" Hermione laughed, pulling her legs up to cover her body and swatting at his chest. Draco chuckled and grabbed her hand, ducking forward and kissing her lips. Hermione laughed again and kissed him back, happy to be in a more playful mood.

Draco threw his shirt on the table, wrapping his hands around Hermione's jawbone and pulling her closer. Hermione grabbed the nape of his neck and pulled him around the chair, dragging him to his knees in front of her so she didn't have to crane her neck. But Draco had another idea.

He used his large hands to grip her calves and pull them down on either side of him. He moved his lips to her neck, nipping and sucking at her most pleasurable spots. Hermione wrapped her arms around his shoulders, but Draco quickly licked his way down her body, leaving her hands to tangle in his hair as he nipped at her hipbones.

So sooner had she tugged his hair that Draco licked her slit, sucking on her clit and reveling in her small whimpers. Out of instinct, Hermione thighs clenched closer, trying to escape the intrusion. Draco growled against her, pushing her legs onto the armrests and spreading her wide open for him. Hermione moaned at the thought.

Draco's tongue penetrated her, licking around her walls aggressively as Hermione tugged his hair again. His tongue ran along her slit while his lips nipped and sucked at her quivering nub. Hermione was already whimpering from the waves of pleasure she was receiving, the beginnings of her orgasm already showing.

One of Draco's hands continued rubbing her thigh while the other hand plunged two fingers into her core and moved his lips to pleasuring her clit. He curved his fingers to hit her G-spot, causing Hermione to nearly jump out of the chair as the bubble inside her stomach suddenly burst and she came with a hoarse cry. Draco licked at her core until she finally collapsed into the chair with flushed cheeks and heavy breathing.

When Draco sat up with a wide smirk on his face, Hermione eagerly grabbed his face and pulled his lips towards hers, tasting the saltiness on his tongue and not caring a bit. Just then the clock chimed eleven. They both knew they needed to start getting ready for lunch. This state of dress wasn't gonna cut it.

Draco nipped at her lips once more before standing up and lifting Hermione with him, gracefully carrying her over to her bed and laid next to her.

"I should go get ready," he murmured, looking into her eyes with a smile. Hermione smiled back and stroked his sharp jawbone.

"Don't take too long," she laughed, cupping his cheek and giving him a short kiss before getting up and heading for her closet. Before she could enter, Draco grabbed her naked waist, spun her around, and slammed his mouth on hers. Hermione responded eagerly.

After minutes, Draco finally let up and smirked down at her.

"Don't tease me with that cute little arse of yours or you'll get what's coming to you," Draco playfully threatened, naughtily slapping her backside. Hermione smiled sexily, giving him one lingering kiss before pushing him towards the door.

"You better be back before 11:50 or we are leaving without you," she challenged back, finally walking into her closet to pick out a presentable outfit for the Headmistress of Hogwarts.

~:~:~:~:~

Hermione sat in front of the fireplace, biting her lip and tapping her brown wedges against the ground in anticipation. She was dying to know what this meeting was about.

In the end Hermione decided to go for a casually cute look, for she knew she didn't have to impress McGonagall with looks. She had picked a black lace swing top and matched it with her favorite pair of flare jeans. Hermione also grabbed a light brown leather jacket which was properly folded across her lap as she waited for Draco to arrive.

Teddy came down moments later dressed at tad nicer than her, but still casual. He picked a light blue plaid collared shirt with a navy blue blazer over it. He rolled the sleeves up to the middle of his forearms and paired this with skinny khakis and high top Sperries.

"Hey Teddy," Hermione greeted lightly, watching him smoothly glide into the chair across from her.

"Morning, Mi," Teddy smiled, then really looked at Hermione. "I wanted to thank you for last night."

Hermione laughed.

"For what?" she asked, even though she knew what he was referring to. Teddy glared at her knowingly.

"For bringing along Luna. We really hit it off, if I do say so myself. We plan to have coffee sometime before school begins. If we're not expelled first."

This clued Hermione into his thinking. He was just as worried as she was about this meeting, fretting it was about something bad just like her. They truly were siblings.

The Floo activated and Draco stepped out, wiping soot of his thin dark brown, v-neck sweater and medium-wash jeans. Hermione also noticed he was wearing his reading glasses, which made her want to jump him on the spot. He _knew _she loved the glasses.

He walked over to her chair and leaned down to kiss her cheek, then grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the chair.

"11:49, looks like I made it with enough time to spare," he teased playfully, directing her attention to the grandfather clock against the wall.

"Pure luck, I'm sure," she smiled, nudging him with her shoulder then snuggling into his warm chest, automatically feeling his arm come up to wrap around her back.

"As adorable as this is, I'm going to go grab some cash before we leave. I was hoping we could hit Diagon Alley before we come back."

The couple murmured their agreement, and a few minutes later the trio walked towards the fireplace and called out for Hogwarts.

~:~:~:~:~:~

Headmistress McGonagall waved her wand one last time before the Floo roared to life and three teenagers stepped into her office one after another. She smiled warmly as she recognized Hermione stepping out first.

"Hello, dear," she greeted with a smile, raising her thin arms for Hermione to run into. Hermione gave her a light hug and pulled back.

"Hello, Professor. Thank you for inviting us for lunch."

"My pleasure," McGonagall replied, moving her eyes to the next teenager.

"Good afternoon, Professor," Draco said, lightly gripping her hands and kissing her cheek.

"And to you, Mr. Malfoy."

Teddy greeted her in the same fashion, and moments later all four were seated around a circular table already laden with tea and some small treats.

"I trust your summer has been going well?" Professor McGonagall asked generally.

"Yes, very well, thank you Professor," Draco replied automatically, his high-class pureblood training kicking in quickly. McGonagall nodded approvingly.

"Good, good. Now, I know you are all curious as to why I have called you here," she stated obviously, holding in her slight amusement at the steam she could practically see coming out of Hermione's head, Teddy not close behind. Teddy was at least trying to hide it as he reached for a slice of bread and spread butter over it.

"I guess I will get right to it then," the Headmistress said, looking at the three individually before saying, "I would like the three of you to teach here at Hogwarts this upcoming year."

Hermione nearly choked.

"What?" She gasped, staring at the professor in awe. "You mean… teach? For real?"

Professor McGonagall smiled at Hermione's predictable amazement.

"Yes. Unfortunately, due to recent circumstances…" All of them knew what she was referring to; the war. "…We have a few openings we would like to offer the three of you as top students of our year. It is a great job opportunity, and Minister Shacklebolt has agreed to let you teach without finishing your schooling as long as the three of you promise to study of the material you will be missing throughout the year."

Hermione nodded at her, completely entranced with what was happening. The boys had also stopped what they were doing, focusing on the Headmistress' words intently. McGonagall continued on with her proposal.

"Of course, the position will only be temporary. With the tremendous rebuilding efforts being done to have the castle safe for students to return to, it will be a hard task to find three suitable teachers in less than a month, especially with me being new to my position. I have decided to put this search on hiatus until I have all immediate problems straightened out. Am I clear so far?"

The three teenagers nodded, eager for her to go on and finish her proposition.

"I will have the terms written out in more detail later today, which I will send to you if you choose to accept my offer. Now, for the subjects I have enlisted you for."

McGonagall turned to her left first, this being Hermione.

"I would like you to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. With your authentic experience and endless knowledge, I have no doubt the class will be an easy accomplishment for you."

Hermione nodded enthusiastically, her mind already making new plans for her upcoming school year. Next to Hermione and across from McGonagall was Draco, who stared at her with nonchalant excitement as his subject was revealed to him.

"Due to Professor Slughorn's recent decision to retire, I require a new Potions Master. Now, this is a difficult subject and it will call for private lessons at the Ministry before you are able to start, as it will with the other two, although your classes will be much more vigorous. I trust you can handle the hardship and be prepared before the school year begins."

Draco also nodded at the end of her explanation.

"I look forward to the lessons, Professor. Thank you," he replied curtly, though inside he was brimming with giddy smiles and triumphant laughs. His favorite subject in school had been potions, and he honestly was looking forward to learning more from extremely qualified professionals.

Last was Teddy, who had waited quietly for his focus, though he could already hazard a guess.

"Theodore, I would like you to teach the Arithmancy classes. Professor Vector is also retiring after several years of teaching. Now the classes aren't as large as others, for in sixth and seventh year the class is no longer mandatory, but you were second in your class, and with your incredible patience I believe you will thrive with this teaching subject."

Teddy smiled, his guess having been correct. He had seen a small section in the Daily Prophet about the two retiring Professors, and once Slughorn had been brought up it wasn't hard to fill in the blanks. Luckily, during Draco's speech, Teddy had already made his decision.

"Thank you for this opportunity, Headmistress. I will gladly accept such a position, if you don't mind me agreeing so quickly."

"I also accept!" Hermione said excitedly, nearly bouncing out of her seat at such an incredible offer.

Draco quickly followed suit, agreeing to teach for the year alongside his girl and best friend.

McGonagall smiled warmly at her new staff.

"Wonderful. As I said before, I will have proper contracts sent to each of you later in the evening with more details pertaining to your new jobs. Just sign them if you agree with the terms and send them back to me. I will correspond with you about important dates sometime next week. And with that, welcome to the Hogwarts staff, Professors."

~:~::~:~

**So yay!**

**The next chapter will probably be the last one for this story, but luckily there WILL be a separate sequel! I didn't want to write under the same title forever, so I will create a new sequel will an equally catchy title. It will probably be out sometime in July, and I will make sure to post a chapter here to let you guys know its up.**

**Thanks guys!**

**~Terra**


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